阅读理解。
In the United States you will find yourself being urged from every page of every newspaper and every
television station to buy all kinds of goods.
Not only is there a wide range of prices for goods in America, there is also a wide range in the quality
of goods offered for sale. Unlike some countries,
Americans generally pay the price of a product without question, instead of trying to get a lower price
by bargaining. However, there are many "sales" in the United States, during which time stores will lower
their normal prices. This may all be very confusing to visitors. How are you going to know how to "get
your money's worth" when you shop? Perhaps the best advice is: Don't hurry. Visit various stores and
determine the quality of goods. Read the advertisements so that you can compare prices.
There is a great variety of shops in the United States, ranging from very large stores called "department stores" to very small shops. There are "discount houses" offering goods at low prices, and "dime stores"
specializing in a wide range of inexpensive items.
Most department stores in large cities carry better quality products at higher prices. However, they
offer the shoppers great convenience since they contain such a wide variety of products.
If convenience isn't as important to you as price, you may want to shop in discount houses. These
stores have nearly as great a variety of goods as department stores, but offer lower prices. They can do
so for several reasons. They don't offer the same services to buyers that department stores do; there may
be fewer sales people; and the store probably doesn't deliver purchases.
Another popular shop is the "dime store". No longer selling many things for five or ten cents, these
stores got their name in the last century when it was decided that a small profit on a great quantity of
goods would be better than a large profit on fewer sales. Dime stores specialize in a wide variety of
inexpensive items and today, prices range from a quarter or 50 cents up to several dollars.
1. The passage is mainly about______
A. American hospitality.
B. the life of Americans.
C. American stores.
D. the business of Americans.
2. Why can discount houses offer goods at lower prices compared with department stores?
a. They have fewer employees.
b. They have larger quantities of goods.
c. They offer fewer services.
d. They don't provide delivery service.
A. a b c
B. a b d
C. a c d
D. b c d
3. What's special about dime stores?
A. They sell lots of goods at a small profit.
B. They make big profits by selling some goods.
C. They provide goods with a price lower than 50 cents.
D. They provide goods ranging from bargains to expensive ones.
4. Where can we most probably read this passage?
A. In a research paper.
B. In a science report.
C. In a geography book.
D. In a travel magazine.
