Supermarkets are trying out new computers that make shopping carts more intelligent. They will help shoppers find paper cups or toilet soap, and keep a record of the bill.
The touch-screen devices are on show at the Food Marketing Institute’s exhibition here this week, “These devices are able to create value and get you around the store quicker,” said Michael Alexander, manager of Springboard Retail Netwo
rks Inc., which makes a smart cart computer called the Concierge.
Canadian stores will test the Concierge in July. A similar device, IBM’s “Shopping Buddy”, has recently been test-marketed at Stop & Shop stores in Massachusetts.
Neither device tells you how many fat grams or calories are in your cart, but they will flash you with items on sale. The idea is to make it easier for people to buy, not to have second thoughts that maybe you should put something back on the shelf.
“The whole model is driven by advertisers’ need to get in front of shoppers,” said Alexander. “They’re not watching 30-second TV ads anymore.”
People can use a home computer to make their shopping lists. Once at the store, a shopper can use a preferred customer card to start a system（系统）that will organize the trip around the store. If you’re looking for toothpicks, you type in the word or pick it from a list, and a map will appear on the screen showing where you are and where you can find them.
The device also keeps a record of what you buy. When you’re finished, the device figures out your bill. Then you go to the checker or place your card into a self-checkout stand and pay.
The new computerized shopping assistants don’t come cheap. The Buddy devices will cost the average store about $ 160, 000, and the Concierge will cost stores about $ 500 for each device.The underlined word “they”（paragraph 1）refers to ____________.
| A．supermarkets | B．shop assistants |
| C．shopping carts | D．shop managers |
We can learn from the last paragraph that ___________.
A．intelligent shopping ca rts cost a large sum of money |
| B．the Concierge is cheaper than the Buddy devices |
| C．shop assistants with computer knowledge are well paid |
| D．average stores prefer the Concierge to the Buddy devices |
What might be the most suitable title for the text?
| A．New age for supermarkets |
| B．Concierge and Shopping Buddy |
| C．New computers make shopping carts smarter |
| D．Touch-screen devices make shopping enjoyable |
We all enjoy the colors of autumn leaves. Did you ever wonder how and why a fall leaf changes color? Where do the yellows and oranges come from? To answer those questions, we first have to understand what leaves are and what they do.
Leaves are nature's food factories. Plants take water from the ground through their roots. They take a gas called carbon dioxide from the air. Plants use sunlight to turn water and carbon dioxide into glucose, which is a kind of sugar. Plants use glucose as food for energy and as a building block for growing. The way plants turn water and carbon dioxide into sugar is called photosynthesis, which means " putting together with light. " A chemical called chlorophyll helps make photosynthesis happen. Chlorophyll is what gives plants their green color.
As summer ends and autumn comes, the days get shorter and shorter. This is how the trees "know" to begin getting ready for winter.
During winter, there is not enough light or water for photosynthesis. The trees will rest, and live off the food they stored during summer. They begin to shut down their food-making factories. The green chlorophyll disappears from the leaves. As the bright green fades away, we begin to see yellow and orange colors. Small a-mounts of these colors have been in the leaves all along. Covered up by the green chlorophyll, we just can't see them in summer.
The bright reds and purples we see in leaves are made mostly in the fall. In some trees, like maples, glucose is trapped in the leaves after photosynthesis stops. Sunlight and the cool nights of autumn cause the leaves turn this glucose into a red color. The brown color of trees like oaks is made from wastes left in the leaves.
It is the combination of all these things that make the beautiful colors we enjoy in the fall. The writer asked two questions in the beginning in order to .
| A．persuade readers to believe something |
| B．introduce the topic of the passage |
| C．get the readers excited |
| D．offer something to think over |
Which of the following is True according to the passage?
| A．Trees don't change colours with seasons. |
| B．Trees can still perform photosynthesis well in winter. |
| C．Trees have colours like yellow and orange even in summer. |
| D．Trees don't need food in winter. |
Photosynthesis is a way that ___________________________.
| A．plants change water and carbon dioxide into sugar |
| B．plants turn water and carbon dioxide into sugar with the help of sunlight |
| C．plants use glucose as food for energy and growing |
| D．chlorophyll is a great help |
Which is the best title for this passage?
| A．Colorful trees in autumn | B．Mysteries of tree colors |
| C．Do you enjoy tree colors? | D．Wonderful colors in autumn |
SPECIAL EVENTS THIS WEEKEND
Captain Goodfellow
Do you children enjoy interesting stories funny games, and exciting dance? Captain Goodfellow will be ready to teach a11 these things to children at the City Theatre on Saturday morning at 10：00, free．
morning at 10:00 Free.
Walking Tour of the Town
Forget your worries on Saturday morning. Take a beautiful walk and leam about local history. Meet at the front entrance of City Hall at 9:30. Wear comfortable shoes!
Films at the Museum
Two European films will be shown on Saturday afternoon at the Museum Theatre. See Broken Window at 1:30. The workers will be at 3:45. For further information, call 4987898.
International Picnic
Are you tired of eating the same kind of food every day? Come to Central Park on Saturday and enjoy food from all over the world. Delicious and not expensive. Noon to 5 :00 p. m.
Take me out to the Ballgame
It's October, and tonight is your last chance to see the Red- birds this year. Get your tickets at the gate. It might be cold... don't forget sweaters and jackets.
Do you want to hear "The Zoo"?
"The Zoo", a popular rock group from Australia, will give their first US. Concert tomorrow night at 8 Rose Hall, City College. You can probably eat Chinese, Italian and Arab food _____.
| A．at Central Park on Saturday | B．at the front entrance of City Hall |
| C．at the ballgame | D．at 5:00 p. m. |
You can see movies at _____.
| A．the Museum Theatre | B．the Central Park |
| C．the City College | D．the City Theatre |
If you are going on the Walking Tour, don't forget _____.
| A．your beautiful walk | B．your comfortable shoes |
| C．your worries | D．your learning about local history |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．"The Zoo" is an Australian rock group. |
| B．"The Zoo" are going to meet their American audience for the last time. |
| C．"The Zoo" will appear at 8:00 p. m. |
| D．"The Zoo" will performance in front of college students. |
In bringing up children, every parent watches eagerly the child's acquisition (学会) of each new skill in the first spoken words, the first independent steps, or the beginning of reading and writing. It is often tempting to hurry the child beyond his natural learning rate, but this can set up dangerous feelings of failure and states of worry in the child. This might happen at any stage. A baby might be forced to use a toilet too early, a young child might be encouraged to learn to read before he knows the meaning of the words he reads. On the other hand, though, if a child is left alone too much, or without any learning opportunities, he loses his natural enthusiasm for life and his desire to find out new things for himself.
Parents vary greatly in their degree of strictness towards their children. Some may be especially strict in money matters. Others are severe (严格的) over time of coming home at night or punctuality for meals. In general, the controls represent the needs of the parents and the values of the community as much as the child's own happiness.
As regards the development of moral standards in the growing child, consistency is very important in parental teaching. To forbid a thing one day and excuse it the next is no foundation for morality (道德). Also, parents should realize that "example is better than precept". If they are not sincere and do not practice what they preach (说教), their children may grow confused when they grow old enough to think for themselves, and realize they have been to some extent fooled.
A sudden awareness of a marked difference between their parents' principles and their morals can be a dangerous disappointment. Eagerly watching the child’s acquisition of new skills_________________.
| A．will make the child lose interest in learning new things |
| B．sets up dangerous states of worry in the child |
| C．is universal among parents |
| D．should be avoided |
In the process of children’s learning new skills, parents _________________.
| A．should encourage them to read before they know the meaning of the words they read |
| B．should achieve a balance between pushing them too hard and leaving them on their own |
| C．should expect a lot of the children |
| D．should create as many learning opportunities as possible |
The second paragraph mainly tells us that _________________.
| A．parental restrictions vary, and are not always for the benefit of the children alone |
| B．parental controls reflect only the values of the community |
| C．parents should be strict with their children |
| D．it’s parents’ and society’s duty to control the children |
The word “precept” in Paragraph 3 probably means “_________________”.
| A．opinion | B．punishment | C．instruction | D．behavior |
In terms of moral matters, parents should _____________________.
| A．follow the rules themselves |
| B．be aware of the huge difference between adults and children |
| C．always ensure the security of their children |
| D．forbid their children to follow hook teachings |
Apparently，we are safe neither at home nor in the business office.We use water in both places，but the research shows that chemicals added to our local water supply to kill harmful bacteria can have unwanted side effects.These chemicals can cause potential harm through drinking and in seemingly harmless activities as cleaning one’s house.They are released(set free)from water by daily actions like water running out of tap，spraying from garden pipes，or splashing in dishwashers and washing machines.As the water is moving.these chemicals are released into the air and then breathed in. Once inside our bodies, they start to affect our health.
Does this mean we should stop bathing? No, say the scientists, but we should put all pollution into perspective. Activities at home such as the burning of coal, cooking oil, or even candles release carbon monoxide and particulates such as cigarette ashes which have been proven as harmful to health as working or living near heavy traffic. New tugs, bedding, and even clothing give off that“new smell, ”which is a sure sign of chemicals. In the office, newly applied paint, newly purchased telephones and other telecommunications equipment, and computers release polluting chemicals, too. As offices and homes often have inadequate ventilation (通风), these chemicals can build up to become health problems. Their poisonous effects are only now being slowly recognized.
These facts suggest that, at a minimum, proper airing of newly purchased goods with an obvious chemical smell is a wise warning. Home and office windows should be opened during good weather. Even one’s car needs to be ventilated as well while in the garage.
We need further research to understand better other potential health dangers, too. For example, the effects of overcrowding of schools (carbon dioxide build-up ), the factory work environment ( an endless list of potentially dangerous substances ), and even home heating and cooling (the air conditioner may be our enemies, not our friends) have only recently started to come to light. Until we understand the effects of our new technological environment better, we can only hope that“there is no place like home.”What is the main idea of the first paragraph?
| A．The air we breathe in is harmful. |
| B．Chemicals are released in the running water. |
| C．Chemicals are added to the drinking water. |
| D．The water in everyday use is unsafe. |
.In Paragraph 2, the underlined sentence means that .
| A．homes and offices should be aired often |
| B．any pollution should be taken into consideration |
| C．bathing should be done with caution |
| D．we should prevent any pollution from doing harm to us |
What is the purpose of the passage?
| A．To call on us to guard our water. |
| B．To show us that no place is like home. |
| C．To make us aware of the pollution around us. |
| D．To argue that neither homes nor offices are safe. |
Beauty has always been regarded as something praiseworthy. Almost everyone thinks attractive people are happier and healthier, have better marriages and have more respectable jobs. Personal advisors give them better advice for finding jobs. Even judges are softer on attractive defendants (被告). But in the executive (行政的；管理的) circle, beauty can become a liability.
While attractiveness is a positive factor for a man on his way up the executive ladder, it is harmful to a woman.
Handsome male executives were considered as having more honesty than plainer men; effort and ability were thought to lead to their success.
Attractive female executives were considered to have less honesty than unattractive ones; their success was connected not with ability but with factors such as luck.
All unattractive women executives were thought to have more honesty and to be more capable than the attractive female executives. Interestingly, though, the rise of the unattractive overnight successes was connected more to personal relationships and less to ability than that of the attractive overnight successes.
Why are attractive women not thought to be able? An attractive woman is considered to be more feminine and an attractive man more manly than the less attractive ones. Thus, an attractive woman has an advantage in traditionally female jobs, but an attractive woman in a traditionally manly position appears to lack the "manly" qualities required.
This is true even in politics. "When the only clue is how he or she looks, people treat men and women differently," says Anne Bowman, who recently published a study on the effects of attractiveness on political candidates. She asked 125 undergraduate students to rank two groups of photographs, one of men and one of women, of attractiveness. The students were told the photographs were of candidates for political offices. They were asked to rank them again, in the order they would vote for them.
The results showed that attractive males completely defeated unattractive men, but the women who had ranked most attractive unchangeably received the fewest votes. In traditionally female jobs, attractiveness ______________.
| A．makes women look more honest and capable |
| B．strengthens the qualifies required |
| C．is of no importance to women |
| D．often enables women to succeed quickly |
Bowman's experiment shows that when it comes to politics, attractiveness ____________.
| A．turns out to be a disadvantage to men |
| B．is more of a disadvantage than an advantage to women |
| C．affects men and women alike |
| D．has as little effect on men as on women |
It can be inferred from the passage that people's views on beauty are often ______________.
| A．practical | B．supportive | C．old-fashioned | D．one-sided |
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