In Western countries people have been using the installment plan since the first half of the twentieth century. Today, a large number of families in Great Britain buy furniture, household goods and cars by installments. In the U. S., the figure is much higher than in Great Britain, and people there spend over 10 percent of their income on the installment plan.
The price of an article bought on installments is always higher than the price that would be paid by cash. There is a charge for interest. The buyer pays one quarter or one third of the price as a down payment when the goods are delivered to him. He then makes regular payments, weekly or monthly, until the full price is paid up. The legal ownership of the goods remains with the seller until the final payment has been made.
Installment buying has advantages and disadvantages. It can help couples with small incomes to furnish their homes and start housekeeping. It increases the demand for goods, and in this way helps business and employment. There is, however, the danger that when business is bad, installment buying may end suddenly, making business much worse. This may result in a great increase in unemployment. If the people on the installment plan lose their jobs, they will probably not be able to make their payments. If great numbers of people are not able to pay their installment debts there is a possibility that businessmen cannot collect their debts and will therefore lose money. If businessmen lose money or fail to make a satisfactory profit, it becomes more likely to have a depression. This is why, in some countries, the government controls the installment plan by fixing the amount of the down payment and installments to discourage people from buying more than they can pay for on the installment plan.

  1. 1.

    Which of the following is NOT true about the installment plan?

    1. A.
      A lot of British families use the installment plan.
    2. B.
      More than 10 percent American families buy things on installments.
    3. C.
      Americans depend more on installment than British people do.
    4. D.
      Americans spend one tenth of their income on installment buying.
  2. 2.

    Goods bought on installments are more expensive than goods bought by cash because ______.

    1. A.
      the buyer has to pay extra money as interest
    2. B.
      the delivery of the goods charges extra money
    3. C.
      the buyer has to pay a down payment
    4. D.
      the service offered by installment plan charged extra money
  3. 3.

    What will happen to a buyer if he fails to make the full payment for an item bought on installments?

    1. A.
      He might lose his job.
    2. B.
      He will stop owning the item he has bought.
    3. C.
      He will have to sell what he has bought.
    4. D.
      He will go into debt.
  4. 4.

    The advantage of installment buying might include all the following EXCEPT that ________.

    1. A.
      purchasing power is strengthened
    2. B.
      employment might be increased
    3. C.
      people develop a good habit of saving money
    4. D.
      young couples are able to furnish their homes
  5. 5.

    In some countries, the governments control the installment plan to ________.

    1. A.
      increase employment
    2. B.
      avoid depressions
    3. C.
      ensure that businesses make good profits
    4. D.
      ensure that people can pay for what hey buy
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科目：高中英語 來源：2013屆北京西城區(qū)（南區(qū)）高二下學(xué)期期末質(zhì)量檢測英語試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

We can slow down aging. That is the message Dr. Shen Ziyin wants to give the world. And the Chinese doctor claims that he has found an answer to the problems of aging. His solution is a herbal medicine（草藥）to slow the process of aging.

    Dr. Shen Ziyin has been trained in Western medicine. At the same time he studied traditional Chinese medicine. And, he has been working for the past forty years to put together the best of both and find a cure for aging. He has taken a hint from the ancient Chinese medicine system called “Shen”.

    According to Shen, it is the kidney（腎臟）which adjusts the functioning of the body as well as its aging process. It is responsible for the level of activity that the human bodies go through. Studies conducted by Dr. Shen show that herbal medicine based on the Shen system slows the aging process, says a report in the Telegraph newspaper. We notice that when people grow old, they have reduced strength, loss of hair, backache, weakness, wrinkles and so on. This happens because when people grow old, their bodies produce T-cells. These T-cells contain a particular substance called Fas. Fas makes the cells in the body destruct themselves.

    So the only way to slow down aging is to slow the production of T-cells in the body. This can happen if people eat low calorie food. Then the body is not active enough to produce extra T-cells. But, is going hungry all the time a good price to pay for staying young? This is where Dr. Shen’s herbal medicine comes in. But how effective it will be, only time can tell.

1.How did Dr. Shen find the solution to the problem of aging?

    A. By studying Western medicine.

    B. By learning traditional Chinese medicine.

    C. By combining both Western and Chinese medicine.

    D. By doing research on both Western and Chinese people.

2.What plays the most important role in keeping people young according to Shen?

    A. Medical treatment.

    B. Positive life attitude.

    C. People’s good kidney.

    D. Level of people’s activity.

3.The reason why people become old is that     .

    A. their bodies produce T-cells

    B. they become weaker and weaker

    C. they have reduced strength, loss of hair

    D. their bodies are unable to fight diseases

4.We can probably learn from the passage that     .

    A. producing more low calorie food allows people to keep young

    B. it remains unknown how effective Dr. Shen’s herbal medicine is

    C. people should try to quicken the production of T-cells in the body

D. the more Chinese herbal medicine people drink, the better for health

 

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科目：高中英語 來源：2013屆內(nèi)蒙古巴市高二下學(xué)期期末考試英語試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

What would life be like without rich, creamy, mouthwatering, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate?

Life would be bitter for most Americans. They spend about $13 billion a year buying all sorts of chocolate treats.

However, for the African children who toil under slavelike conditions on cacao plantations, life is not sweet. The cacao bean is the main ingredient in the chocolate. According to a 2002 survey by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture and the US Agency for International Development, about 284,000 children work in dangerous conditions on cacao farms in western Africa.

More than half those children are younger than 14. Many were sold into forced labor to work 12 hours or more a day on the cacao plantations.

A number of international organizations, including several African governments, recently began a program to eliminate(消除) child labor on cacao plantations. Under the program, government officials will remove children from abusive working situations while teaching farmers about child labor issues.

The program will also make borrowing money easier for cacao farmers. Officials hope farmers will use the money to invest in their farms and hire paid laborers.

1.The cacao bean is the main ingredient in _______.

A．treats

B．coffee

C．chocolate

D．cigarettes

2.How many children under 14 work on cacao farms in western Africa?

A．About 284,000.

B．About 142,000.

C．About 467,000.

D．About 876,000.

3.From the passage, you can reasonably conclude that _______.

A．cacao farms in western Africa rely heavily on child labor

B．children in Africa know how to make the best chocolate

C．candy bars sold in the United States are made on plantations in Africa

D．eating too much chocolate is bad for your health

 

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科目：高中英語 來源：河南省2009-2010學(xué)年高一下學(xué)期階段測試英語試題（二） 題型：完形填空

 

II. 完形填空（ 共20 小題；每小題 1.5分，滿分30分）

閱讀下面短文，從短文后各題的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)（A 、B、C  和D）中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng)。

Learn to Express Thanks

“Exposed to strong sunshine and heavy winds, postmen are the most handsome.”

“Thank you, dear postmen.” 

Many Teens readers write letters with  such words on the envelopes. Once they are   36  , editors are always    37    by their sincere gratitude(感激的心情) to ordinary people.

38    gratitude is an important  form  of good   39   .In western countries, people often write a note to thank those who    40     them. Nowadays more and more people in China have found it’s high time to cultivate(培養(yǎng)) a thankful     41    for the good others do.

Everyone likes to get praised and appreciated. Gratitude is   42    of virtues, which lets others smile and makes the    43    more beautiful. You just need several   44     to write down a thank-you note, but it could bring much joy to the    45     .          

We live in a society   46    we enjoy the different services of others. But none of them should be taken for granted. Gratitude is also a kind of  attitude in life. In developing gratitude for every    47    –for the

simple joys, and even for the   48   time—we come to   49   enjoy and appreciate life. Then we are able to see the    50   around us.

         Try to write a thank-you letter to your parents for working hard to   51    you a happy life. 

         Be grateful to your    52   because of their help with your studies and character  building.

Say thanks to your friends who    53     both your happiness and sorrow and spend a few minutes   54   you go to sleep giving thanks for all that you have.

We are sure it will bring them much joy and add   55   into your own life as well.

36. A. said                         B.closed                             C. opened                         D. invited

37. A. surprised                B. interested           C. moved                            D. thanked

38. A. Having                      B. Expressing            C. Taking                              D. Enjoying

39. A. manners                  B. uses                        C. ways                                D. things

40. A. helps                       B. has ever helped           C. is helping                       D. have ever helped

41. A. feeling                     B. heart                     C. word                               D. mind

42. A. the good                 B. the smallest        C. the greatest                 D. good one

43. A. world                        B. school                    C. community                     D. crowd

44. A. times                       B. words                   C. pieces                            D. minutes

45. A. performer               B. receiver                 C. speaker                           D. doer

46. A. which                        B. when                      C. how                                  D. where

47. A. time                         B. day                        C. moment                        D. form

48. A. managing                B. challenging           C. changing                         D. developing

49. A. simply                       B. truly                        C. hardly                              D. ably

50. A. truth                         B. reality                    C. experience                     D. magic

51. A. offer                        B. make                     C. feed                                D. put

52.A. classmates             B. parents                C. teachers                        D. friends

53.A. gave                         B. shared                  C. appreciated                  D. formed

54. A. after                         B. as                            C. before                             D. while

55.A. color                         B. taste                     C. means                            D. reflection

 

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科目：高中英語 來源：天津市2010屆高三下學(xué)期5月模擬考試英語試卷 題型：閱讀理解

The library is one of the most popular places at a western university. Students turn to it for research, conversations about class, and many other services.

Compared with Chinese libraries, college libraries, college libraries in the US and UK tent to offer more resources. A postgraduate at Yale University can borrow as many as 225 books at a time.

In addition to borrowing books, there are online and electronic resources. These include a database search of popular and academic material, such as LexisNexis Academic, which offer items from newspapers and magazines.

Although books and articles are the items that students ask for most frequently, some libraries provide audio and video recordings, maps and sheet music （活頁樂譜）. At some schools, teachers and tutors put electronic copies of their teaching PPTs on the library Web to give easier access for students.

Another useful service in Western college libraries is the Interlibrary Loan. This allows a student at one school to borrow books from another school. The loan request is make through the student’s college library, which gets the book, gives it to the user, and arranges for its return.

Technology has brought more services to students and has made libraries attractive. Some universities have services for students to send messages through the computer or mobile texts to ask the library staff for information.

Earlier this year, Harvard University introduced a new Scan and Deliver service, allowing students to make requests for parts of books and articles. Requests made through the system are handled by library staff. The student receives and e-mail with an Internet link to the scanned pages. The service is free and all material comes within four days.

It used to be that libraries didn’t allow food or drinks. But that rule is changing and many of them now contain a café so students can spend as much time as they want in the library.

Actually, some US university libraries are now all-night affairs, or have at least one study room open all night.

1. In Western college libraries a postgraduate can ______.

A. have a free drink or a meal

B. borrow as many books as they want

C. access not only books but other study resources

D. ask questions and get answers from their tutors

2. LexisNexis Academic is the name of ______.

A. a database

B. a library

C. a university

D. a guide

3. How can a college student borrow books from other college’s libraries?

A. By going to these libraries.

B. By getting them through the Internet.

C. By sending messages through the computer or mobile texts.

D. By borrowing them through their own library.

4. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. Chinese library services are better than western ones.

B. Library staff play an important role in college library service.

C. Postgraduates can post their own PPTs to the library website.

D. 24-hour services are adopted in all western libraries nowadays.

5. Why are university libraries more attractive now?

A. Because students can eat and drink there at any time.

B. Because students can have a stay-over there all night.

C. Because students can enjoy quicker and more convenient services.

D. Because students can borrow anything they want there.

 

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科目：高中英語 來源：2010-2011學(xué)年重慶市高三5月月考英語試題 題型：閱讀理解

Butter is bad for you—so is margarine（人造黃油）．Coffee raises blood pressure, but may protect against cancer．Alcohol is okay, but only if it's wine．The confusing studies on what is safe to eat and drink are enough to make it impossible for anyone to understand what "good food" is．

Take the margarine-butter debate for example．Studies that linked fat—found mostly in animal products such as meat and butter—with cancer and heart disease sent millions rushing to buy margarine．But then another study found that people who ate a lot of margarine also had high levels of heart disease．For those who have a firm faith in science, this seems to be the end of the world．

But many doctors point out that their advice has never been conflicting．For years, and in various countries, they have recommended eating less fat．

People in western countries such as Britain and the United States get about 40 percent of their calories from fat．Doctors say this should be around 30 or even 25 percent,

"We must try to reduce total fat," said Dr．Robert Richardson of the University of Edinburgh, who has been studying the effects of fat on human health for years．

"We need to go to more such food as bread, in particular brown bread, and more fruit and vegetables．"

Fresh produce may not be so safe, either．Last month the British Government advised consumers to peel their pears before eating, while many Americans briefly avoided apples because of fears over an insect killing chemical．

But Dr．Arnold, a British scientist, said any risk of such poisoning would be outweighed by the costs of not eating plant foods．

"On balance, if you were to put both risks against each other, the advice has to be eating as much fruit and vegetable daily as possible," she said．

In general, doctors conclude, variety truly is the best policy．"The general advice is pretty much the same advice that doctors have been talking about for a long time—a varied diet, a mixture of foods and not too much of any one," Arnold said．

1.In which section of the magazine are you most likely to find this passage?

    A．Arts and Culture                     B．Entertainment    

    C．Nature                               D．Health

2.The British Government advised consumers to peel their pears before eating because ________．

    A．it found that there were insects on the pears

    B．it wanted consumers to avoid insect, killing chemicals

    C．the skin of pears was found to be bad for people's health

    D．it was a bad habit not to peel them

3.The underlined word "outweigh" （Para. 8） means " __________．"

    A．to be heavier than usual or allowed                      B．to be more dangerous than

    C．to be greater in value or importance than                D．to be considered less important than

4.What can we infer from the passage?

    A．Many doctors say that their advice has never been conflicting．

    B．Science provides answers to all our questions．

    C．We should peel our pears before eating．

    D．We should eat plant foods despite the risk of poisoning．

 

 

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