1 . If you’re struggling to save money, you’re not alone. Less than half of Americans have enough emergency savings to cover at least three months’ expenses.     1     . Here are several practical ways to help you spend less.

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If you want to determine how to save money, you need to figure out how to spend less of it. Many bank statements include categorized spending reports. These can provide a good sense of where your money has been going and identify opportunities to reduce your costs. If you’re married, making this review process a shared task can help cut expenses and increase savings.

Be a strategic grocery shopper

While you’ll need to keep buying groceries despite higher prices, you can make an effort to avoid throwing away unused food. As you make your grocery list, think about what ended up being thrown away last time. Those who made a shopping list in advance throw away less food.     3    

Break up with brand names

A comparison of ingredients and labels on things like noodles may show affordable alternatives to be just as nutritious and high-quality as the top-shelf ones.     4     . Try to find more affordable alternatives for any such brand-name household items you may be buying.

Challenge yourself to a spending freeze

One way that can be effective in taking control of your finances is a spending freeze, during which you cut all unnecessary spending for a set period.     5     . The extra money you’ll have at the end of the month can be added to savings or used to pay down debt.

A．Review your spending habits

B．Compare other banking options

C．So take extra time to plan out your upcoming meal

D．Saving money isn’t easy these days but it’s not impossible

E．Prices remain high on expenses such as housing, food and transportation

F．This gives you a sense of just how much you’re spending on nonessentials

G．The same concept may apply to non-food items such as paper and hand soap

2 . The first thing I learned about shopping after moving to Texas from the Caribbean was this: Go to Goodwill.

When I needed my first jacket, I went to Goodwill. When the carpet in my studio got dirty, I bought a vacuum cleaner at Goodwill. What I didn’t know at the time was that I was participating in the billion-dollar industry of used goods. After reading journalist Adam Minter’s Secondhand: Travels In The New Global Garage Sale, I now understand how it works not only in the US but across the world. I also understand that most people are hoarders — humans always put emotional value on worthless items, and we now collect things and fill the space around us faster than at any other time in human history.

In Secondhand, Minter starts with a strange question: What happens to people’s stuff when they die? He answers the question in the first chapter—but this only opens a door into the hidden, billion-dollar industry of reuse. With a keen eye for detail and the curious mind of a journalist, Minter takes readers from thrift stores (旧货商店) all across the US to small apartments and vintage shops in Tokyo, and from a truck in Mexico to an office in Mumbai, to show the inner workings of one of the world’s largest markets. Along the way, he interviews many fascinating people who make a living by buying and selling what others discard or leave behind after their deaths, all while wondering what the future holds for this business in an era when consumers want new things.

To say Secondhand is a book about reusing and reselling would be unfair to Minter. Sure, reuse is at the core of the book, but it also deals with culture and consumption patterns on a global scale. It also offers a look into the relationships people establish with things and how those crumble (破碎) with time and death.

While the used-goods business doesn’t stand a chance against the low-cost goods that have spread globally over the last forty years, the truth is that it will be decades before it disappears entirely. Secondhand is a good book to understand it, a book written with a lot of heart and with people — not things — as its focus.

1. What do we know about Goodwill from the text?

A．It sells different secondhand items.

B．It provides support for newcomers to Texas.

C．It is a fashion brand known for its cheap clothes.

D．It is where the author bought Adam Minter’s book.

2. What is the first chapter of Secondhand about?

A．The global market size of used goods.	B．Adam Minter’s journeys for his book.
C．Some questions about the industry of reuse.	D．Fate of people’s belongings after their deaths.

3. What does the underlined word “discard” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Handle.

B．Check on.

C．Separate.

D．Throw away.

4. What does the author think of the future of the used-goods business?

A．It will decline due to online shopping.	B．It will disappear entirely in a few years.
C．It will continue to exist despite challenges.	D．It will be bigger than the new goods business.

3 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What is the woman doing in the mall?

A．Searching for her sister,

B．Picking a wedding gift.

C．Buying a photo album.

2. What does the man suggest the woman do?

A．Consider a jewelry.

B．Plan her budget.

C．Get something personalized

3. What does the woman want to do?

A．Spend less money.

B．Get a job promotion.

C．Holding an interview.

4 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Where did the tomato sauce come from?

A．A local farm.

B．A store only five miles away.

C．The man’s own tomatoes.

2. What does the woman think of cooking?

A．She enjoys it.

B．It makes her fee creative.

C．She doesn’t have the patience for it.

5 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What do most Hungarians usually use hand-painted dishes as?

A．Food containers.

B．Wedding gifts.

C．Decorations.

2. Who possibly taught the woman to paint eggs?

A．Her teacher.

B．Her grandmother.

C．Her friend.

3. What are the speakers mainly talking about?

A．Different patterns on painted eggs.

B．Popular souvenirs of Hungary.

C．Favorite wedding gifts for Hungarians.

6 . Who is in charge of the programme?

A．Lisa.

B．Steve.

C．Jimmy.

7 . What will the man do next?

A．Go for a walk.

B．Start a new project.

C．Focus on the discussion.

8 . When can the man go to see the exhibition?

A．On July 30.

B．On July 24.

C．On July 15.

9 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What was the speaker driving to do?

A．Go to his office.

B．Pick up his son.

C．Go to the post office.

2. What did the speaker want to buy at a shop?

A．Drinks.

B．Swimsuits.

C．Fruits and bread.

3. What caused the speaker to stop his car 500 metres from the school?

A．A traffic jam.

B．A flat tire.

C．An engine failure.

4. How did the speaker feel at last?

A．Worried.

B．Depressed.

C．Relieved.

10 . Love is one of life’s greatest motivators. That is exactly what inspired Zack to design a fully electric off-road wheelchair for his girlfriend suffering from paralysis (瘫痪).

Like most wheelchair-users, Cambry has always been restricted to the pavement for most of her adult life. Aside from that, using a wheelchair across long distances makes her shoulders ache. Zack Nelson, her boyfriend, wanted to give her the ability to explore more places conveniently, so he made a special wheelchair for her, which would make it possible.

Zack began by combining two electric bikes and installing a seat in the centre. It worked! Cambry experienced a whole new level of freedom using her new “ride”, and she couldn’t be more grateful to Zack for coming up with it. Fast forward to a year later, Cambry and Zack tied the knot. They also began mass-production of the special wheelchair. Throughout that time, they improved the original design to make it a more reliable off-roader.

While similar vehicles already exist in the market, they said they’re either slow or cost as much as a car. Cambry and Zack wanted to build something quick, light, super long-range, and affordable at the same time. However, coming up with that kind of electric off-roader wasn’t easy.

The toughest challenge when developing the special wheelchair is the price. “We wanted to create something that is affordable for everyone. Finding quality components, and a simple enough design at the cheapest price possibly took quite a bit of time,” said Zack. “But I think we have something now that everyone will be able to enjoy, at a fraction (少量) of the cost of other ‘off-road wheelchairs’ currently on the market.” Another great thing about the vehicle is that it’s silent. Its rider will have no difficulty chatting with their companion while using it. Cambry and Zack are very happy with the fully-electric machine, and they hope that other wheelchair-users will also benefit from it.

1. What was Zack’s motivation to invent a fully electric wheelchair?

A．The market demands.	B．His interest in invention.
C．His love for his girlfriend.	D．The request of his girlfriend.

2. What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 2 refer to?

A．Walking on the pavement with ease.

B．The special wheelchair made by Zack.

C．The ability to explore more places conveniently.

D．Cambry’s desire to reduce the pain of her shoulders.

3. What does Zack think of the existing wheelchairs in the market?

A．They’re light.	B．They’re expensive.
C．They’re ugly.	D．They’re small.

4. What can we learn about Zack from the last paragraph?

A．He has an ambition to introduce the wheelchair to others.

B．He is satisfied with people’s reaction to the wheelchair.

C．He couldn’t afford the components of the wheelchair.

D．He spent many years designing the wheelchair.