The tough economy is bringing new shoppers to the secondhand market. Plato’s Closet in Chaelotte, NC is a private company, which mainly buys and sells used clothes. While Charlotte has outstanding secondhand stores offering high-end and graceful brands for women, most of their stock applies to adults. Plato’s closet targets teens and those in their 20s. Plato’s Closet , with stores in Matthews and the university area, sells clothes and accessories(装饰品) that are currently popular at about one third the retail prices(零售价).
The two hottest brands, for buying and selling, are Hollister and Abercrombie &Fitch. Even though the offerings tend to be suitable for young people, there are a variety of shoppers at Plato’s Closet of varying ages. Women in their 30s, 40s, and older could easily find a purse, jacket or piece of jewelry they like.
If you are selling
Unlike higher-end resale stores which usually work on consignment(寄售),Plato’s Closet buys on the spot.
Items can be gently used, but must be in very good condition.
Clothes should be less than two years old and styles should be the same as those still being sold at the shopping center.
There is no negotiation; prices are set company-wide. If what you sell amounts to $30 or less, they’ll give you cash. More than that, you’ll get a Visa cash card.
Secondhand success
Don’t get discouraged if you can’t find something on your first trip. Resale shops are always getting new lists of goods and change their styles with each season.
Be sure to check each piece carefully before buying.
Price comparison
Jackets: New York & Company black blazer, $12; retail: $37
Pants: Express Editor-style pants, $12; retail: $69.90.
Shoes: Nine West black peep-toe pumps, $12; retail: $89.
Jewelry: Necklaces, $3-$5; retail: $18-$30.What is the difference between Plato’s Closet and other resale shops?
| A．They offer service for people of different ages. |
| B．The offerings in Plato’s Closet are more expensive. |
| C．Plato’s Closet only offers high-end brands for women. |
| D．Plato’s Closet also sells books to customers. |
Which of the following about Plato’s Closet is NOT true?
| A．Hollister and Abercrombie &Fitch are the two hottest brands in Plato’s Closet. |
| B．Women in their fifties can’t find proper clothes and accessories in Plato’s Closet. |
| C．Goods in Plato’s Closet are sold at 67 percent off retail prices or so. |
| D．Plato’s Closet targets teens and those in their 20s. |
In Plato’s Closet, which of the following is not accepted?
| A．Items you sell must be in very good condition. |
| B．You can negotiate with buyers about prices of goods. |
| C．The clothes you sell should be less than two years old. |
| D．You can sell your goods on the spot instead of on consignment. |
If you buy a pair of Express Editor-style pants in Plato’s Closet, you can save _______.
| A．57.9 dollars | B．15 dollars |
| C．77 dollars | D．25 dollars. |
More than one million children in the United States do not go to school. Instead, they learn at home. Most often, their parents are their teachers. Educational companies, libraries and the Internet provide many families with teaching materials.
Parents choose home schooling for several reasons. Some choose it because of their religious beliefs. Others say it provides more time for the family to be together. They say the home offers a better place for learning. Some parents believe home schooling avoids learning. Some parents believe home schooling avoids problems of national schools. Critics, however, say children need to attend school with other children.
All fifty American states and the District of Columbia permit home schooling. Some states do not require much preparation by parents or testing of children. Other states have more requirements for home schooling. Home schooling in the United States began when the country was established. In farm areas, people often lived far from a school. Widespread home schooling took place until about the middle of the nineteenth century. Then, in 1852, the state of Massachusetts passed the first law requiring children to attend school.
Over the years, the American public education system strengthened and grew. By the 1960s and 1970s, however, some Americans believed that traditional education was not helping their children. So a number of parents began home schooling.
Home schooling expert Linda Dobson says many people have helped the movement grow. She says many kinds of people have joined the movement. These include rich people and poor people. They represent many races, religions and political beliefs. Ms. Dobson says the number of home-schooled children has increased an estimated fifteen to twenty percent each year during the last fifteen years.
64. Teaching materials for home schooling do NOT come from _______.
A. parents B. libraries
C. the Internet D. educational companies
65. Which of the following is one of the reasons why parents choose home schooling?
A. it makes parents and their children have less time together.
B. Some people have different religious beliefs from the others.
C. It can’t provide a comfortable place for children to be in.
D. There are too many students in a home classroom.
66. Home schooling was started in ________.
A. the 1960s B. the 1970s C. the 1850s D. the 1776
67. Home schooling in the United States now is __________.
A. facing many difficulties B. struggling
C. growing fast D. decreasing in large numbers
About 90 percent of Chinese believe the polarization(分化) between the rich and poor is “serious” in China, according to a survey conducted by China Youth Daily. And more than 80 percent of the respondents(对象) surveyed said something must be done to narrow the expanding gap between the rich and poor, while 14.1 percent said it was necessary.
The polarization has aroused wide concern among the public in recent years. The State Development and Reform Commission(国家发改委) said the Gini Coefficient had reached 0.47 for China, up from o.29 two decades ago. Usually, a country with a number above 0.4 is warned to pay attention to the income inequality problem.
To find out the people’s view, the survey covered 10,250 respondents, between the ages of 20 and 30 with a college education and a monthly salary between 1,000 and 3,000 yuan. Surprisingly, most disagreed with the view of experts who claim the urban-rural difference is causing the widening gap. More than 70 percent of the respondents believed that “ the group of special interests” is the prime reason for the polarization, followed by “people in power” 68 percent, and “bosses” 50 percent.
Another unexpected finding is that almost all agreed that a good educational background and knowledge were not the decisive factors in gaining wealth. About 95 percent said rich people are not necessarily those who are able to speak English or have a college education.
Today in China, rich people , accounting for 10 percent of the population, control 45 percent of the total social fortune, and poor people, also 10 percent of the population, only control 1.5 percent, according to an investigation published by the National Bureau of Statistics last June.
60. It can be inferred that the Gini Coefficient ( in paragraph 2) would probably be _____.
A. the unit used in advanced mathematics
B. the degree of a country’s development
C. the level of the citizen’s living standard
D. a measure of income inequality
61. Experts hold the view that the main reason for the polarization is _____.
A. the urban-rural difference B. the group of special interests
C. the people in power D. the bosses
62. Which of the following can show the correct proportion(比例) of the social fortune among population?
63. What’s the best title of the passage?
A. Close the Gap between the Rich and Poor
B. Surveys conducted by China Youth Daily
C. Higher education, Higher pay
D. Rich-Poor Divide Serious, Study Finds
第三部分阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
请阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该选项的标号涂黑。
In ancient times the most important examinations were spoken, not written. In the schools of ancient Greece and Rome, testing usually was made up of saying poetry aloud and giving speeches.
In the European universities of the Middle Ages, students who were working for advanced degrees had to discuss questions in their field of study with people who had made a special study of the subject. This custom exists today as part of the process of testing candidates(应试者) for the doctor’s degree.
Generally, however, modern examinations are written. The written examination, where all students are tested on the same questions, was probably not known until the nineteenth century. Perhaps it came into existence with the great increase in population and the development of modern industry. A room full of candidates for a state examination timed exactly by electric clocks and carefully watched over by managers, looks like a group of workers at an automobile factory. Certainly, during examinations teachers and students are expected to act like machines.
One type of test is sometimes called an “objective” test. It is intended to deal with facts, not personal opinions. To make up an objective test, the teacher writes a series of questions, each of which has only one correct answer. Along with each question the teacher writes the correct answer and also three statements that look like answers to students who have not learned the material properly.
56. The main idea of Paragraph Three is that ___________ .
A. workers now take examinations B. the population has grown
C. there are only written exams today D. examinations are now written and timed
57. The kind of exams where students must select answers are ___________ .
A. objective B. personal C. spoken D. written
58. Modern industry must have developed ____________ .
A. around the 19th century B . before the Middle Ages
C. in Greece or Rome D. machines to take tests
59. It may be concluded that testing __________ .
A. should test only opinions B. should always be written
C. is given only in factories D. has changed since the Middle Ages
Italians are considered the most handsome men in the world while men who are balding(变秃的) and aging do not necessarily lose their looks, according to an international survey.
A “Male Beauty” survey of nearly 10,000 men and women in 12 countries conducted by market research firm Synovate found that good hygiene (卫生) was actually the top requirement for men to being considered handsome.
The second main requirement to be considered good-looking was confidence, with nearly one fifth of all respondents saying a man must carry himself well, followed by having a “great smile”.
Hair, or a lack of, seemed to have little impact with only one percent of respondents saying that a full head of hair was needed to be handsome.
Older men can also take heart as 60 percent of respondents said a man’s appearance gets better with age, with Americans, Chinese, Greeks and Malaysians agreeing with that the most. “Men are seen like a fine wine – they only get better, which is good news for some of us, ” Bob Michaels, Synovate spokesman, said in a statement.
But looks did also come down to geography. The survey, conducted in October in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Greece, Malaysia, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Britain and the United States, found Italian men were considered to be the most handsome – even though Italy was not in those countries surveyed. They were followed by men from the United States, Russia and Brazil.
In Spain, more men than women consider having muscles and dressing well to be necessarily requirements, while the opposite was true for Greek women, who were more likely to think a macho (男子气概的) look was appealing. Far more British, French and Australian women also seemed to value “a great smile” than men do.
1.How many respondents think hair is the necessary requirement for men?
A. 12. B. 100. C. 10,000. D. 60.
2.According to the survey, the underlined phrase “come down to” can be replaced by “________”.
A. stand for B. equal to C. relate to D. go with
3.By saying “Men are seen like a fine wine” means “________”.
A. men’s appearances get better as time goes by
B. men are almost addicted to a fine wine
C. drinking fine wine is often seem according to the survey
D. a fine wine can make men look better
4.What can we learn from the passage?
A. Synovate was one of the respondents from Italy.
B. Russian men were ranking the third place.
C. Having a great smile is the most important for Spanish men.
D. There are 12 countries surveyed, including Italy and Canada.
Astronomers (天文学家) say they are on the point of finding planets like Earth orbiting other stars, which is a key step in determining if we are alone in the universe.
A top NASA official and other leading scientists say that within four or five years they should discover the first Earth-like planet where life could develop, or may have already. A planet close to the size of Earth could even be found sometime this year.
At the annual American Astronomical Society conference this week, each discovery involving so-called “exoplanets” —those outside our solar system — pointed to the same conclusion：Quiet planets like Earth where life could develop probably are plentiful.
NASA’s Dew Kepler telescope and a lot of new research from the suddenly hot and competitive exoplanet field caused noticeable buzz at the meeting．Scientists are talking about being at “an incredible special place in history” and closer to answering the question. “Are we alone? For the first time, there’s an optimism that sometime in our lifetimes we’re going to get to the bottom of that,” said Simon Worden，an astronomer who heads NASA’s Ames Research Center. “If I were a betting man, which I am, I would bet we’re not alone.”
“These are big questions that reflect upon the meaning of the human race in the universe,” the director of the Vatican Observatory, the Rev. Jose Funes, said Wednesday in an interview at this week’s conference.
Worden told The Associated Press: “I would certainly expect in the next four or five years we’d have an Earth-sized planet in the habitable (可居住的) zone.”
1.What is very important in determining if we are alone in the universe?
A. Finding an Earth-like planet. B. Orbiting other stars.
C. Developing new telescopes. D. Finding more exoplanets.
2.What’s an exoplanet?
A. It’s a planet like Earth. B. It’s a planet outside our solar system.
C. It’s a planet orbiting the sun. D. It’s a planet where life have developed.
3.The underlined phrase “get to the bottom of” probably means “__________”.
A. understand fully B. make full use of
C. search for D. do more research on
4.From the passage we can learn that __________.
A. an Earth-like planet has been found
B. it’s been proved we are not alone in the universe
C. Jose Funes has found the meaning of the human race in the universe
D. the discovery of an Earth-like planet could happen in the near future
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