I needed to get some money, so, after Christmas, I took a job in the clothes department at Graham's for the first fortnight of the January sale. I can't say that I enjoyed it, but it was an experience I would never forget.
I could never understand why there were so many things in the sales; where did they all come from? Now I know the secret! Firstly, there is the special winter stock(货物) and the stock that people buy all the year round; some of these things are slightly reduced. Secondly, there are the summer clothes they couldn't sell last year; these are heavily reduced to clear them. Thirdly, there are cheap clothes bought in specially for the sales; these are put out at high prices ten days before the sale begins and then are reduced by 60% in the sale. Clever! Lastly, they buy in "seconds" (clothes not in perfect condition) for the sale and they are sold very cheaply.
When I arrived half an hour before opening on the first day of the sale, there was already a queue around three sides of the building. This made me very nervous.
When the big moment arrived to open the doors, the security guards, looking less comfortable than usual, came up to them, keys in hand. The moment they had unlocked the doors, they hid behind the doors for protection as the noisy crowd charged in. I couldn't believe my eyes; this wasn't shopping, it was a battlefield! One poor lady couldn't keep her feet and was knocked over by people pushing from behind.
Clothes were flying in all directions as people searched for the sizes, colors and styles they wanted. Quarrels broke out. Mothers were using their small children to crawl(爬行) through people's legs and get hold of things they couldn't get near themselves.
Within minutes I had half a dozen people pushing clothes under my nose, each wanting to be the first served. Where had the famous English queue gone? The whole day continued like that, but I kept my temper! I was taking money hand over fist and began to realize why, twice a year, Graham's were happy to turn their expensive store into a battlefield like this.
In the sale fever, people were spending money like water without thinking whether they needed what they were buying. As long as it was a bargain it was OK.
You won't believe this but as soon as I got home, I crashed out for four hours. Then I had dinner and went back to bed again, fearing the sound of the alarm which would tell me to get ready for the second day of the sale.
1. Which of the following statements is true?| A．The customers gave up the queuing, for which the English are famous. |
| B．The customers kept their temper while looking for the clothes they wanted. |
| C．Small children enjoyed crawling through people's legs. |
| D．The security guards were fearless of the crowd. |
| A．There were too many clothes and they wanted to clear them in the sales. |
| B．They were eager to show that they were clever at doing business. |
| C．They could take the chance to raise the prices of all their clothes. |
| D．They wanted to make more money by having sales. |
| A．chatted with her friends | B．slept soundly |
| C．broke down | D．dined out |
| A．The Best Bargain. | B．Hunting for a Job. |
| C．Sale Fever. | D．A Pleasant Fortnight. |
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【推荐1】The next time you go grocery shopping, try speaking to other customers. One summer day, I took a smile and a warm heart into a small store in Oregon and got far more than groceries.
I love fresh produce(农产品) in the store, and not just for the amazing colors provided by summer's bounty (慷慨) or the chance to joy over new choices from other countries. It's also because I just love watching people pick their produce.
The day I was there I found a sale on amazing cherry tomatoes—along with a woman in her late 70s. Despite the fact that we were strangers, we began to discuss apples. She noted a problem with the Pink Ladies. "They tasted like I was eating an unripe green apple from the tree," she said, twisting her face as if still tasting the sour apple.
I wondered if this is something most of my generation can even remember doing. I surely do. I mentioned that I often could not resist the green yet tempting fruit swinging from an apple tree. This was the start for a series of discussions as we shopped-covering such topics as nutrition, new foods and the quality of produce.
By this time a third woman had joined in our conversation. The three of us continued along, unexpected friends, chatting about family size and the troubles a mom might have serving healthful foods that please the whole family.
Eventually we all went our separate ways, but in the dairy(奶制品) section I heard a small voice say, "I finally caught up with you." It was the first woman I'd talked to, extending a bag of apricots(杏) to me. "I don't know if your family will eat these," she added, "but they have a super deal on them."
Again I was brought back to my childhood, when I also ate apricots straight from the tree. My mouth watered at the remembered flavor.
The old lady didn't realize that she'd given me far more than produce. With that offering came a sense of community, a flashback to days when it was OK to talk to a stranger. She brought back memories of summer fruits right from the tree—and a feeling that somehow those apricots were a thank-you for sharing my time with her in a very unlikely place.
1. One reason the author likes fresh produce in grocery shop is that ________.| A．she enjoys observing people selecting fresh produce |
| B．she likes watching people tasting fresh produce |
| C．she produces fresh produce herself |
| D．she sells fresh produce herself |
| A．Their price was too high. |
| B．Their color was too green. |
| C．Their taste was too sour. |
| D．Their size was too small. |
| A．She found the apricots were on sale in the shop. |
| B．She learned that the author wanted to buy apricots. |
| C．She wanted to send the apricots as a gift to the author. |
| D．She knew that the author's family liked eating apricots. |
| A．It adds flavor and color to her boring daily life. |
| B．It helps her to see the importance of family life. |
| C．It gives her a chance to learn about nutrition knowledge. |
| D．It brings her unexpected friendship and sweet memories. |
【推荐2】If you’ll be taking vacation time in the coming year and plan on flying, here are some useful tips for buying a cheap ticket.
When to buy
If you’re going to buy tickets for domestic (国内的) flights, check prices on Tuesday afternoons. This is an old tip but still useful because most U. S. carriers continue to release sales on Tuesday morning, and competitors quickly drop their fares to match the better deals.
When to fly
Weekdays continue to be generally cheaper times to fly than weekends for most flights. In the U. S. , the cheapest days are typically Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday. A good itinerary (旅行计划) for the expensive U. S. spring break travel period is scheduled from Tuesday to Saturday; it will save you money (in most cases).
Where to fly
We continue to see good deals to Boston and Denver and more and more nice prices to Chicago, Seattle and Washington, D. C. . As for Europe, there have been surprising deals throughout the fall and those will continue into the winter.
Direct flights vs connecting flights
Compare the price of direct flights with that of connecting flights. Sometimes adding a stop to your route will save you money, and it might be enough to endure the extra long flying day. An example: San Francisco to Raleigh: $553 for a direct flight, $362 with one stop.
You'd better think twice about the direct flight for San Francisco to Raleigh.
Compare, compare, compare
Stifle the impulse to go to your favorite airline site to purchase tickets without doing any comparison. Example: Let’s say you want to fly from New York to London and figure your favorite U. S. legacy carrier will get you there for the best price—$554 for a round trip.
However, the comparison site also shows a cheaper flight from the same legacy carrier ($521). See what you're missing when you fail to do comparison?
1. When can you possibly find the best price for flights within the U. S. ?| A．On Monday morning. |
| B．On Thursday afternoon. |
| C．On Tuesday morning. |
| D．On Sunday morning. |
| A．Feel free to do something. |
| B．Control the desire to do directly. |
| C．Get well prepared for something. |
| D．Make a quick decision on something. |
| A．Those who usually choose first class for their flights. |
| B．Those who want to find suggestions on where to fly. |
| C．Those who are travelling during the spring break. |
| D．Those who are looking for the best airline ticket prices. |
【推荐3】Do you like shopping? For shopaholics in the UK, the place to head to used to be the "high street". This location refers to the streets in the centre of a town where businesses and popular branches of retail chains could be found. It was the place where you could find familiar fashion brands and essential everyday items.
But change in our shopping habits has taken its toll on the British high street. News about shops losing money and shutting is now common. Some city-centre department stores have closed and even long-established retailers such as Marks and Spencer have reported profit slumps.
As the BBC's Emma Simpson writes, things have become a lot harder for traditional retailers in recent years. They have faced rising costs from wages, business rates and the requirement to introduce Europe's new data law.
But the biggest threat has come from online shopping. She says, "Consumers now spend one in every five pounds online-and if businesses are seeing 20 percent fewer sales on the shop floor, then profit margins will be squeezed."
While some of us like to window shop-browsing for things to buy, only to purchase them online at a discount-the fact is that, overall, shoppers are making fewer visits to high streets. Eventually, town centres could become like ghost towns. If people aren't out and about shopping, they won't use other services, like cafes, restaurants and cinemas. It also results in job losses.
The British Retail Consortium has already warned that 900, 000 UK retail jobs could be lost by 2025. The high street has also suffered from the coming of big shopping malls, which offer a retail experience under one roof, with free parking, away from the bad weather!
Meanwhile, back on the high street, some shops still exist. Analysts have said it's those that have moved away from traditional retailing that are surviving. These include beauty salons, nail bars and independent coffee shops-but are these kinds of shops enough to keep the British high street open for business?
1. What is the "high street"?| A．The street in the high places in the UK. | B．The street without big shopping malls. |
| C．The street where you can buy fast food. | D．The main street of a town with many businesses. |
| A．Had a bad effect. | B．Taken its advantage. |
| C．Done something good. | D．Changed its form. |
| A．Rising costs from wages. | B．Online shopping. |
| C．Business rates. | D．Europe's new data law. |
| A．Popular branches of retail chains. | B．Fashion retailers. |
| C．Department stores. | D．Beauty salons and nail bars. |
