A Nation of Animal Lovers
The British are traditionally a nation of animal lovers. This is clear from the large number of animal programmes on TV. There are programmes about wildlife in Britain and other countries, and about pets at home. There are programmes like Animal Hospital about sick animals and the working lives of animal doctors. Some programmes try to find new homes for unwanted or homeless animals. All these programmes are very popular. There is a pet in more than half of the homes in the UK(52.3%). The most popular pets are cats.
Battersea Dogs and Cats Home
Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in London is a very famous home for unwanted dogs and cats. It was started in 1860 by Mrs. Mary Tealby, because she was worried about all the homeless animals on the streets of London. Since it opened, the home has taken in more than 3 million dogs and cats. In 2006, over 11,000 dogs and cats came to the home. By the end of the year, homes were found for 5,000 of them. The home even has its own magazine, Paws.
| It Can Only Happen in Britain! The Echo January 13 The rat at platform one has just made your train late! An officer was called to Stirling station today because passengers were worried about a large white rat on the line. Three trains passed over it, but the rat was unhurt. The Scottish railway company, Scotrail, closed the line. Then passengers watched as the officer carefully caught the rat. It bit him, but he took it away safely. An officer from Scotrail said, “We try to protect all wild animals and pets. At first the rat was very frightened, but now he’s fine.” “We’ve called him Ronnie. He needs a good home. People think rats are dirty. But they make great pets!” |
2. How many homes in the UK raise pets?(no more than 10 words)
3. Why did Mrs. Mary Tealby started Battersea Dogs and Cats Home?(no more than 15 words)
4. What was the result of the rat in the train station?(no more than 10 words)
5. How will you react if you see some wild animals in cities? Please further explain that.(no more than 20 words)
2 . You have to get to your job interview, but you don’t have access to an automobile. How would you solve this dilemma (困境)? Most people would probably call an Uber or perhaps ask a friend or family member for a ride. But not this Indiana woman. Kasia Shelton from Muncie has been arrested for stealing a vehicle from a local dealership (经销商). According to police reports, the 20-year-old used the 2013 Kia Optima to drive to a job interview in Indianapolis.
The auto theft happened on Monday, October 9. On the day, Shelton arrived at RDI Motors in Muncie and asked an employee to see a certain 2013 Kia Optima. He showed the car to Shelton and we can only assume he talked in length about its great condition for its age, the features, and the reliability. The employee later told the police that Shelton seemed interested in the car and asked to take it for a test drive. But while he was talking to her and preparing the car for a drive, the dealership’s telephone kept ringing and ringing. He said that he had to excuse himself constantly to go pick up the phone, yet there was never anybody on the other end of the line. The last time the phone rang was just as the employee had gotten the car ready for Shelton to take it for a test drive. When he got back from the phone, Shelton and the Kia were gone.
The RDI employee immediately called the Muncie Police Department. The police then began using the Flock camera surveillance system (监控系统) in an attempt to spot the car. A while later, they saw the car again, this time returning to Muncie. After that, the cameras lost the car, but we now know that Shelton drove it back to RDI Motors. Finding out wasn’t too difficult. The police said they were able to connect the car to Shelton because she had filled out an online form on RDI Motors’ website.
When the police later showed up at Shelton’s door, she seemed confused and thought the officers were pulling off some kind of a joke. She genuinely didn’t seem to understand what she was getting arrested for. After all, she returned the Kia to the dealership once she was done with her trip. She didn’t plan to keep it, so what’s the big deal?
Whether she understood the reason why or not, Shelton was arrested. She has been charged with auto theft, which could land her in prison for up to two and a half years.
1. Why was Shelton arrested?| A．Because she got a job interview. | B．Because she didn’t call an Uber. |
| C．Because she stole a car. | D．Because she drove a 2013 Kia Optima. |
| A．Uninterested. | B．Negative. | C．Responsible. | D．Intolerable. |
| A．Some other clients. | B．Mysterious phone calls. |
| C．Shelton’s attitude. | D．His colleagues’ calls. |
| A．By searching the Flock camera surveillance system. |
| B．Through the interview company. |
| C．By inquiring RDI motors’ employees. |
| D．Through the personal information she left on the site. |
| A．Don’t you think that’s the reason you arrest me? | B．Is this small thing worth an arrest? |
| C．Is this a deal? | D．Do you think I should buy the car? |
Advertising is all around us and it seems to have become an unavoidable part of our life. Digital marketing experts estimate that most Americans may be exposed to around 4, 000 to 10, 000 advertisements a day.
You may think you will never fall for an ad and be persuaded to buy something, but read the article first before you decide!
While direct hard-sell ads might be easy to detect — such as those for products endorsed (宣传) by celebrities — soft-sell ads may be more difficult to spot. One such method advertisers use is to make customers believe there is an immediate need to buy the product using words or phrases such as hurry, act now, last chance, now or never.
These are not the only methods, of course. Other methods include giving away samples and sponsorship of events, In fact, there are many methods which work for different products in different places. Gillian Greene, Creative Director of Cheesy Bee, an advertising agency in London, confirms this, stating their adverts are tailor-made (特制的) according to the situation.
Not all ads are directed towards the end customer. Advertising agencies will make adverts with the investors (投资人) and shop owners in mind. An impressive and expensive ad may signal to the investors that the ad agency is successful and they may then be encouraged to invest in it. Similarly, shop owners are more likely to stock (囤积) well-advertised products because they know customers are more likely to buy them. In this way, ads can help sell products even when they are not directed at the customer. Ads work in all stages of a business and, perhaps, that is the success of advertising.
1. What is the author’s purpose in using two sets of numbers in Para. 1? (No more than 15words)2. What is the meaning of the underlined words in Para. 2? (no more than 3 words)
3. How does a soft-sell advertising work according to Para. 3? (No more than 15 words)
4. What is the article mainly about? (No more than 10 words)
5. Do you think advertising is necessary? And why? (No more than 20 words)
