If the rose can be said to be a special flower, then the apple can be said to be a special fruit．It is very important in American culture．American stories speak of Johnny Appleseed, who went throughout America collecting apple seeds and planting apple trees．He had a great love for nature and went through fields and farms adding richness and beauty to the country．

One of the first sayings taught to school children is, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away．” This short saying encourages children to eat fresh fruit to keep healthy． If someone always says good words to a person, people will call him an “apple polisher”．This, however, is not a good name．If someone is very dear to us, we say that he or she is the “apple of our eye”．

Most people believe that the fruit which Eve gave to Adam was an apple, even though the Bible (圣经) never says so．The apple, therefore, is a deep part of the language and stories of America．

An apple is also delicious．Apples can be cooked in many ways, used as a dessert, and made into sweet juice．

In many parts of the country during the harvest season, a popular activity is to go into an apple garden to pick apples．Washington, D．C．and New York are both famous for their apples．

Finally, when it’s time to take a vacation to American cities, one can always visit New York, which is “the biggest apple” of all the American cities．

小题1:During these years, iphones are popular with the people all over the world. Which country is his starter--Steven Paul Jobs from?

A．America

B．England

C．Russia

D．Japan小题2:Why was Johnny Appleseed so famous?

A．He had a great love of nature．

B．He liked the American people．

C．He went throughout the country．

D．He collected apple seeds and planted apple trees．小题3:What does the underlined phrase “apple polisher” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．Something for cutting apples．

B．A person who likes to please others．

C．A person who is dealing with fruits．

D．A machine for cleaning apples quickly．小题4:Which of the following is TRUE with apples?

A．Apples are medicine．

B．Apples are the most important food．

C．New York is famous for its big apples．

D．The Bible says Adam was given an apple．小题5:The passage is mainly about ___________．

A．apples in American culture

B．stories about the apple

C．some famous sayings of the apple

D．big cities that are famous for apples

"What does the middleman do but add to the price of goods in the shops " Such remarks are aimed at the intermediate operations between manufacturers and final customers. This practice usually attracts a lot of attention from the public and the press and the operation most talked about is what is often called wholesaling.The wholesaler buys goods in large quantities from the manufacturers and sells them in smaller parcels to retailers, and for this service his selling price to the retailer is raised several percent higher. But his job is made more difficult by retail demand not necessarily running level with manufacturers’’ production. Because he adjusts or regulates the flow of goods by holding stock until required, he frees the manufacturer, to some extent, from the effect on production of changing demand and having to bear the whole risk.The manufacturer can then keep up a steady production flow, and the retailer has no need to hold heavy stocks, who can call on the wholesaler for supplies any time. This wholesale function is like that of a valve in a water pipe. The middleman also bears part of the risk that would otherwise fall on the manufacturer and also the retailer.The wholesaler provides a purely commercial service, for which he is too well rewarded. But the point that is missed by many people is that the wholesaler is not just someone adding to the cost of goods. It is true one could eliminate the wholesaler but one would still be left with his function: that of making sure that goods find their way to the people who want them.

The middleman relieves the producer of________.

A．fluctuating market demand and staying at risk

B．the production of commodities for the retail market

C．some extent of production of changing demand

D．storing goods in a warehouse until they are needed