英语阅读(二)自考题-19_真题(含答案与解析)-交互 .pdfVIP

英语阅读 (二)自考题-19 (总分 100, 做题时间 90 分钟) PART ONE Ⅰ.Reading Comprehension Directions: In this part of the test, there are several passages. Following each passage, there are some questions with four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the best answer and then write the corresponding letter on your Answer Sheet. Passage One Lets take the orthodox definition of the word bargain. It is something offered at a low and advantageous price. It is an opportunity to buy something at a lower price than it is really worth. A more recent definition is: a bargain is a dirty trick to extort money from the pockets of silly and innocent people. I have never attended a **panys board meeting in my life, but I feel certain that discussion often takes the following lines. The cost of producing a new—for example—toothpaste would make 80p the decent price for it, so we will market it at ￡1.20. It is not a bad toothpaste (not specially good either, but not bad), 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 starts to happen we will reduce the price to ￡1.15. And we will rush to buy it even though it still costs forty-three per cent more than its fair price. Sometimes it is not 5p OFF but 1p OFF. What breathtaking impertinence to advertise 1p OFF your soap or washing powder or dog food or whatever. Even the poorest old-age pensioner ought to regard this as an insult, but he doesnt. A bargain must not be missed. To be offered a gift of one penny is like being invited to dinner and offered one single pea (tastily cooked), and nothing else. Even if it represented a real reduction it would be an insult. Still, people say, one has to have washing powder (or whatever) and one might as well buy it a penny cheaper. When I was a boy in Hungary a man was accused of murdering someone for the sake of one pengo, the equivalent of a shilling, and pleaded