2013年专八阅读理解真题附参考答案和解析 TEXT D
日期:2014-07-06 10:05
(单词翻译:单击)
阅读理解
PART II READING COMPREHENSION
TEXT D
The first clue came when I got my hair cut．The stylist offered not just the usual coffee or tea but a complimentary nail—polish change while I waited for my hair to dry．Maybe she hoped this little amenity would slow the growing inclination of women to stretch each haircut to last four months while nursing our hair back to whatever natural colour we long ago forgot．
Then there was the appliance salesman who offered to carry my bags as we toured the microwave aisle．When I called my husband to ask him to check some specs online，the salesman offered a pre-emptive discount，lest the surfing turn up the same model cheaper in another store．That night，for the first time，I saw the Hyundai ad promising shoppers that if they buy a car and then lose their job in the next year，they can return it．
Suddenly everything’s on sale．The upside to the economic downturn is the immense incentive it gives retailers to treat you like a queen for a day．During the flush times, salespeople were surly, waiters snobby．But now the customer rules，just for showing up. There’s more room to stretch out on the flight，even in a coach．The malls have that serene aura of undisturbed wilderness, with scarcely a shopper in sight．Every conversation with anyone selling anything is a pantomime of pain and bluff．Finger the scarf, then start to walk away, and its price floats silkily downward．When the mechanic calls to tell you that brakes and a timing belt and other services will run close to $2,000，it's time to break out the newly perfected art of the considered pause．You really don't even have to say anything pitiful before he'll offer to knock a few hundred dollars off．
Restaurants are also caught in a fit of ardent hospitality, especially around Wall Street: Trinity Place offers $3 drinks at happy hour any day the market goes down, with the slogan “Market tanked? Get tanked!”--which ensures a lively crowd for the closing bell．The "21" Club has decided that men no longer need to wear ties，so long as they bring their wallets．Food itself is friendlier：you notice more comfort food，a truce between chef and patron that is easier to enjoy now that you can get a table practically anywhere．New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni characterizes the new restaurant demeanor as "extreme solicitousness tinged with outright desperation．"“You need to hug the customer,”one owner told him．
There's a chance that eventually we'll return all this kindness with the extravagant spending that was once decried but now everyone is hoping will restart the economy．But human nature is funny that way．In dangerous times，we clench and squint at the deal that looks too good to miss，suspecting that it must be too good to be true．Is the store with the super cheap flat screens going to go bust and thus not be there to honor the "free" extended warranty? Is there something wrong with that free cheese? Store owners will tell you horror stories about shoppers with attitude，who walk in demanding discounts and flaunt their new power at every turn．These store owners wince as they sense bad habit forming：Will people expect discounts forever? Will their hard-won brand luster be forever cheapened, especially for items whose allure depends on their being ridiculously priced?
There will surely come a day when things go back to“normal”；retail sales even inched up in January after sinking for the previous six months．But I wonder what it will take for US to see those $545 Sigerson Morrison studded toe-ring sandals as reasonable? Bargain-hunting can be addictive regardless of the state of the markets，and haggling is a low-risk，high-value contact sport．Trauma digs deep into habit，like my 85-year—old mother still calling her canned-goods cabinet “the bomb shelter." The children of the First Depression were saving string and preaching sacrifice long after the skies cleared．They came to be called the “greatest generation." As we learn to be decent stewards of our resources，who knows what might come of it? We have lived in an age of wanton waste，and there is value in practicing conservation that goes far beyond our own bottom line．
26．According to the passage，what does“the first clue" suggest?
A．Shops try all kinds of means to please customers．
B．Shops，large or small，are offering big discounts．
C．Women tend to have their hair cut less frequently．
D．Customers refrain from buying things impulsively．
27．Which of the following best depicts the retailers now?
A．Bad-tempered． B．Highly motivated．
C．Over-friendly． D．Deeply frustrated．
28．What does the author mean by“the newly perfected art of the considered pause”?
A．Customers now rush to buy things on sale．
B．Customers have got a sense of superiority．
C．Customers have learned how to bargain．
D．Customers have higher demands for service．
29．According to the passage，“shoppers... flaunt their new power at every turn" means that shoppers would
A．keep asking for more discounts．
B．like to show that they are powerful．
C．like to show off their wealth．
D．have more doubts or suspicion．
30. What is the author's main message in the last two paragraphs?
A. Extravagant spending would boost economic growth．
B. One's life experience would turn into lifelong habits．
C. Customers should expect discounts for luxury goods．
D. The practice of frugality is of great importance．
参考答案与解析
参考答案与解析：
26. A Shops try all kinds of means to please customers．
题目问的是根据文章，“the first clue（第一个线索）”暗示了什么意思。
该词出现在文章开头，其实具体指的是紧接着的一句“The stylist offered not just the usual coffee or tea but a complimentary nail-polish change while I waited for my hair to dry．（造型师在我等候头发吹干的期间不仅提供了平常就有的咖啡或茶，还免费为我的指甲换了新的指甲油。）”而全文就是在讲述在如今的经济低迷时期，作者所经历的许多与以往不同的购买体验——因为现在是买方市场，顾客会发现自己正享受到以前没有享受到的一些特权，而卖家却在绞尽脑汁地取悦顾客。理发店的免费额外服务正是作者体验到的第一个例子，因此选项A符合题意。选项B的话首先只是选项A的一个具体表现，商家除了提供较大折扣之外，还采用了各种其它方式如免费的额外服务等，最终都只是为了能取悦顾客。其次在理发店这个例子中，作者也并未提到理发店给了什么折扣，只是享受到了一次免费的美甲服务。选项C与 “the first clue”并无直接的逻辑关系，无法从中暗示出来，而且它也是文章中“this little amenity would slow the growing inclination of women to stretch each haircut to last four months”这一句中明确提及的实际现象，无需暗示。选项D也是无法从“the first clue”一词看出来的，第一段中并未明确提及。
27. B. Highly motivated
题目问的是以下哪个词能最好地描绘商家们现在的状态。
选项A．Bad-tempered，脾气很差的；易怒的。选项B．Highly motivated，办事积极性很高的。选项C．Over-friendly，过度友好的。选项D．Deeply frustrated，非常泄气沮丧的。该题可由文章第三段中“The upside to the economic downturn is the immense incentive it gives retailers to treat you like a queen for a day．”一句得出，immense incentive 就是high motivation 的意思，整句话的意思是，是经济萧条给予零售者的巨大动机对待你像皇后一样。故选项B正确。
28. C. Customers have learned how to bargain
28. C. Customers have learned how to bargain
题目问的是作者说“the newly perfected art of the considered pause”是什么意思。
该句出现在文章第三段最后部分。这里可能很多人会存在理解上的困难，因为作者隐晦地将顾客的停顿下来考虑形容成一种最新完善过的艺术。而联系上下文，不难看出，这种停顿时的沉默就是一种有效的还价手法，只是由于现在的不景气所以连这些还价的流程都不需要了（break out:打破，在文中具体意为不再使用这种还价方式）从紧接着的“You really don't even have to say anything pitiful before he'll offer to knock a few hundred dollars off．”一句就可看出，因为顾客现在是真的不需要玩这种还价艺术，商家就会主动提供折扣。所以“the newly perfected art of the considered pause”即指顾客们（以前惯用的）最新的还价手法，可看出顾客们是很善于还价的，因此选项 C. Customers have learned how to bargain（顾客已经学会了如何还价）正确。
29. A. keep asking for more discounts
题目问的是根据文章，“shoppers... flaunt their new power at every turn”意味着顾客会怎么做。
这句话出现在文章第五段“who walk in demanding discounts and flaunt their new power at every turn”，理解为每一回在商家满足了顾客的还价要求后顾客又会提出进一步的降价要求，让一开始的就显得过分的折扣越来越大。因此选项A．keep asking for more discounts与之相符，正确。选项B．like to show that they are powerful（喜欢表现出他们很有力量）只从字面上对“flaunt their new power”进行了解释，没有嵌入到语境中进一步理解。选项C．like to show off their wealth（喜欢炫耀他们的富有）更是误解原意了。选项D．have more doubts or suspicion（有了更多疑心）与该句没什么关联。
30. D. The practice of frugality is of great importance
题目问的是作者在文章最后两段中透露出的主要信息是什么。
分析文章最后两段可概括为：顾客们在这段经济低迷时期的大背景下享受到了各种优待，并且在卖家的各种营销手段刺激下倾向于过度消费。于是作者很担心人们会将这种过度消费养成自己的习惯，正如经历过经济大萧条的那一代人在过惯了清贫的生活后，勤俭持家就成了他们的习惯一样。而在最后一段结尾，作者更直接说“there is value in practicing conservation that goes far beyond our own bottom line。”，可见他认为崇尚节俭，保留一定的经济贮存是十分有价值的。因此选项D. The practice of frugality is of great importance（厉行节俭是很重要的）符合题意。
重点单词
