Discussfollowingquestionswithyourpartner.Questions:1.Doyouliketobargainwhendoingshopping?Whenandwhy?2.Isbargainingaweaknessorstrongpointinhumannature?Why?3.Isbargainingharmfulorbeneficialtooursociety?Readthepassagebelowandputthefollowingsentencesintheappropriateblanksinthetext.a.Therealdangerstartswhenutterlyunnecessarythingsbecome“bargains”.b.Itisnaturalthatpeopleshouldbargainwhenshopping.c.Ihaveneverattendedalargecompany'sboardmeetinginmylife,butfeelcertainthatthediscussionoftentakesthefollowinglines.d.Sometimesitisnot5penceOFFbut1pennyOFF.e.Quiteafewpeopleactuallybelievethattheymakemoneyonsuchbargains.f.Somepeoplebuyinbulkbecauseitischeaper.Letustaketheorthodoxdefinitionofthewordbargain.Itissomethingofferedatalowandadvantageousprice.Itisanopportunitytobuysomethingatalowerpricethanitisreallyworth.Amorerecentdefinitionis:abargainisadirtytricktoextortmoneyfromthepocketsofsillyandinnocentpeople.(1)

.Thecostofproducinganew—forexample—toothpastewouldmake80pencethedecentpriceforit,sowewillmarketitat￡1.20.Itisnotabadtoothpaste(notspeciallygoodeither,butnotbad),andaspeopleliketotrynewthingsitwillsellwelltostartwith;buttheattractionofnoveltysoonfades,sosaleswillfall.Whenthatstartstohappenwewillreducethepriceto￡1.15.Andwewillturnitintoabargainbyprinting5penceOFFalloverit,whereuponpeoplewillrushtobuyiteventhoughitstillcostsaboutforty-threepercentmorethanitsfairprice.Bargains

ByAndyRooney(2)

.Whatbreathtakingimpertinencetoadvertize1pennyOFFyoursoaporwashingpowderordogfoodorwhatever.Eventhepoorestold-agepensioneroughttoregardthisasaninsult,buthedoesn't.Abargainmustnotbemissed.Tobeoffereda“gift”ofonepennyislikebeinginvitedtodinnerandofferedonesinglepea(tastilycooked),andnothingelse.Evenifitrepresentedarealreductionitwouldbeaninsult.Still,peoplesay,onehastohavewashingpowder(orwhatever)andonemightaswellbuyitapennycheaper.WhenIwasaboyinHungaryamanwasaccusedofmurderingsomeoneforthesakeofonepengo,theequivalentofashilling,andpleadedguilty.Thejudgewasoutraged:“Tokillamanforashilling!...Whatcanyousayinyourdefence?”Themurdererreplied:“Ashillinghere...ashillingthere.”Andthat'swhattoday'sshoppersaystoo:“Apennyhere...apennythere.”cd(3)

.Thereisahugenumberofpeoplewhojustcannotresistbargainsandsales.Providedtheythinktheyaregettingabargain,theywillbuyclothestheywillneverwear,furnituretheyhavenospacefor.Oldladieswillbuyroller-skatesandnon-smokerswillbuypipe-cleaners.AndIonceheardofamanwhoboughtanelectriccircularsawasabargainandcutofftwoofhisfingersthenextday.Buthehadnoregrets,thesawhadbeentrulycheap.(4)

.AladyIknow,otherwiseacharmingandseeminglysanegirl,sometimestellsmestoriessuchasthis:“I'vehadaluckydaytoday.Iboughtadressfor￡120,reducedfrom￡400.”Shefeelsasthoughshehasmade￡280.Shealsofeels,Iamsure,thatifshehadmoretimeforshopping,shecouldmakealivingoutofit.(5)

.Ionceknewacouplewhocouldnotresistbuyingsugarinbulk.Theythoughtitatremendousbargain,nottobemissed,sotheyboughtenoughsugarfortheirlifetimeandthelifetimeoftheirchildrenandgrandchildren.Whenthesugararrivedtheydidn'tknowwheretostoreit—untiltheyrealizedthattheirloowasaveryspaciousone.Sothatwaswheretheypileduptheirsugar.Notonlydidtheirguestsfeelratherstrangewhenevertheywereofferedsugartoputintotheircoffee,buttheloobecameextremelysticky.Toofferbargainsisacommercialtricktomakethepoorpoorer.Whengreedyfoolsfallforthistrick,itservesthemright.Allthesame,ifbargainswereprohibitedbylawourstandardoflivingwouldimmediatelyriseby7.39percent.Bargains

ByAndyRooneyaefGivethemeaninginChineseandthepartofspeechofthefollowingwordsusedinthetext.YoumayuseanEnglish-Englishdictionary.Thenwritedownasentencetoillustratethemeaningandusageofeach.1.orthodox

2.decent

3.impertinence

4.equivalent

5.outrage

6.utterly

7.seemingly

8.sticky公認的

adj.Hetookanorthodoxapproachtotheproblem.得體的；合適的adj.Iknowyou'vegotalottodo,buttrytogettobedatadecenthour.無禮；不適宜n.Iwasshockedbytheimpertinenceofherquestion.對等物n.Hisnewspapercolumnisthejournalisticequivalentofcandy.使發怒v.Hiscommentsoutragednearlyeveryoneintheroom.完全地adv.Iwasutterlyconvincedthatshewaswrong.貌似adv.Itisaseeminglysimplejob.黏性的adj.Thepaintwasstillsticky.Studythestory.Thenanswerthefollowingquestions.1.Whatisthedifferencebetweentheorthodoxdefinitionandtherecentunderstandingofthetermbargain?

2.Howwouldabusinessmarketitsnewproduct?Andwhenwoulditcutdowntheprice?

3.Whatmakesacustomerthinkthat“abargainmustnotbemissed”?

4.Whatdoesitmeanwhenshopperssay“Apennyhere,...apennythere”?

5.Whatistherealdangerofbargains?

6.Whatcommonmisconceptiondoconsumershavewhentheyblindlyspendmoneyonbargains?

7.Whatpointdoesthewriterwanttomakewiththeexampleofacouplewhobuysugarinbulk?

8.Whatdoesthelastparagraphmean?Andhowwouldyoulookatthisissue?

Orthodoxdefinition：Abargainissomethingofferedatalowandadvantageousprice.Recentdefinition：Abargainisadirtytricktoextortmoneyfromthepocketsofsillyandinnocentpeople.Theytrytoselltheproductsatahigherpricethantheirrealworth.Whentheattractionofnoveltyfades,theywouldslightlycutdowntheprice.Theymightaswellbuyitapennycheaper.Smallamountsofmoneyeventuallyadduptoabigfortune,sotheyhavetosaveeverypenny.Peoplewillrushtobuythingsthatareeitherunnecessaryorhardtofindroomfor.Theytendtothinktheymakemoneyonsuchbargains.Hewantstoprovehowsillyitwouldbetobuyunnecessarythingsinbulkforthesakeofacheaperprice.Toofferbargainsisaharmfulpractice.Theblameshouldbeputonbothbusinessmenandcustom.Rewritethefollowingsentencesusingtheexpressionsinthebox.1.Thoughthecouplecouldonlymakeamarginalprofit,theycoulddependonthesmallbusinessforaliving.

2.Insomesupermarkets,goodscanbemadeverycheapiftheyareboughtinlargequantities.

3.Sinceyouhavetopasstheexam,youhadbetterdosomerevision.

4.Withmanysafetydevicesmissing,mybikewouldhaveflunkedaninspection.But,nevertheless,Icouldrideitveryfast.

5.Somewomenarethevictimsofthebusinessmen'strickthatcosmeticscanmakethemlookyoungerandprettier.Thoughthecouplecouldonlymakeamarginalprofit,theycouldmakealivingoutofthesmallbusiness.Insomesupermarkets,goodscanbemadeverycheapiftheyareboughtinbulk.Sinceyouhavetopasstheexam,youmightaswelldosomerevision.Withmanysafetydevicesmissing,mybikewouldhaveflunkedaninspection.But,allthesame,Icouldrideitveryfast.Somewomenfallforthebusinessmen'strickthatcosmeticscanmakethemlookyoungerandprettier.Rewritethefollowingsentencesusingtheexpressionsinthebox.6.Theboywaspunishedbythemanbecauseheoftenkickeddownhismailbox.Ithinkthathedeservedthepunishment.

7.AslongaswaterisfoundonMars,humanscanestablishsettlementsthere.

8.Thecustomofficerschargedthetravelerwithdrug-trafficking.

9.Automobilesaresubjectedtoanannualinspectionforthepurposeoftrafficsafety.

10.Manyteenagersthinkofexamsasanightmare.

Theboywaspunishedbythemanbecauseheoftenkickeddownhismailbox.Ithinkthatitservedhimright.ProvidedthatwaterisfoundonMars,humanscanestablishsettlementsthere.Thecustomofficersaccusedthetravelerofdrug-trafficking.Automobilesaresubjectedtoanannualinspectionforthesakeoftrafficsafety.Manyteenagersregardexamsasanightmare.Theauthorusesmanywritingtechniquesinthetext,forexample,definition,comparison&contrast,explanation&illustration,exaggeration,analogy,irony.Workinpairstofindouttheexampleforeachwritingtechnique.Thefirsthasbeendoneasanexample.Abargainissomethingofferedatalowandadvantageousprice.Abargainisadirtytricktoextortmoneyfromthepocketsofsillyandinnocentpeople.Thecostofproducinganew—forexample—toothpastewouldmake80pencethedecentpriceforit,sowewillmarketitat￡1.20.Itisnotabadtoothpaste(notspeciallygoodeither,butnotbad),andaspeopleliketotrynewthingsitwillsellwelltostartwith;buttheattractionofnoveltysoonfades,sosaleswillfall.Andwewillturnitintoabargainbyprinting5penceOFFalloverit,whereuponpeoplewillrushtobuyiteventhoughitstillcostsaboutforty-threepercentmorethanitsfairprice.Tobeoffereda“gift”ofonepennyislikebeinginvitedtodinnerandofferedonesinglepea(tastilycooked),andnothingelse.Buthehadnoregrets,thesawhadbeentrulycheap.Passage1()1.WheredidtheEuropeanbusinessmengettheideaofone-eurogoods?A.Thepriceexpertstheyhired.B.TheAmericanbusinesses.C.Thecustomers'suggestions.D.Therequirementsfromthegovernment.()2.Whywereone-eurogoodsreleased?A.Todealwiththedifficulteconomicsituation.B.TomakeagoodadvertisementonTV.C.Toearnmoneytodonatetopoorpeople.D.Tobeforcedtoincreasethegoodquality.()3.Whydidrestaurantsofferdiscounteditems?A.Tomakethefoodmoredelicious.B.Toinvestinnewfooditems.C.Toattractcustomers'attention.D.Toimprovetheprofit.BACPassage2()4.Whatmethoddidretailersusetoencouragecustomerstobuygoods?A.Makinghigh-qualitygoods.B.Offeringdiscountsfortheproducts.C.Sendingfreegiftstothecustomers.D.Providingmoreattractiveshoppingenvironment.()5.Whatdidcustomerspreferaboutthediscounts?A.Theyprefersomethingextratoabigdiscount.B.Theyprefergoodservicesfromtheshops.C.Theypreferfutureshoppingcredits.D.Theypreferavarietyofgoodschoices.()6.Whatisagoodwaytoimprovepeople'sabilitytoseethroughdiscounts?A.Peopleshouldgetbacktoschool.B.Theyshouldfrequentlystudydiscountpoliciesatshops.C.Theyshouldlearnfromtheshopstaff.D.Theyshouldlearnfromcommunicationwithothercustomers.BABTravailswithCharlie

ByLindaMackayAfewyearsagoItookatriptoMexicowithmyhusband,Cliff,andourten-year-oldson,George.Fascinatedbythelocalartwork,wewantedtobringafewspecialthingsbackhome.VisitingasmalltowncalledMerida,webecameparticularlyintriguedbyabeautifulamber-coloredpotthatwasnearlyastallasGeorge.“Thatwouldlookgreatinourlivingroom,”IwhisperedtoCliff.MaybeitwastheMexicanbeauty,myhusbandagreed.Aseasonednegotiator,Iwenttowork,andthealready-lowpricecamedownto$10.Athomesomethingcomparablewouldhavecostwellover$100.Whatabargain!Afterahalf-houroftwisting,turningandpushing,wegotthepotintotherentedVolkswagenwithjustenoughroomforGeorge.Weallloveditsomuch.GeorgereferredtoitashisMexican“brother”.Weevengaveitaname:Charlie.Withtwilightapproaching,wedrovequicklytotheairlineofficetoconfirmourearlymorningflight.“Therewon'tbeanyproblemtakingapotontheplane,willthere?”Cliffaskedtheclerk.“Notifitfitsintoyourcarry-onluggage,senor.”WeaskedtheclerktostepoutsideandmeetCharlie.“Thatwillnotfitintoyourcarry-onluggage,”hesaid.TheclerkexplainedthatCharliewouldhavetobeshippedbyairfreight.Hewouldhavetobeverycarefullycrated,andinordertodosowewouldhavetotakeCharlietotheairline'scratingoutlet,but—sorry,senor—theairline'scratingoutletwasclosed.“Youmeanwecan'ttakeCharliehome?”Georgeasked,stiflingatear.Ipleadedwiththeclerktohelpusout,andkindlyhescribbledtheaddressofanothercratingcompany.AfteranhourofnavigatingthestreetsofMerida,wefinallyfoundtheaddress.Anoldladyreceivingussaid:“Myhusbandandsonwillputthepotintoawoodencrateforyou.”Wegaveeachofushighfives.“...ifyougetthewood.”Buthowwouldwefindwoodinacitywedidn'tknow?Thenwerealizedthatthefruitwewerebuyingcameoutofawoodencrate.Sowewentouttoafruitsellerandboughtfourwoodencratesat$3each.“That'smorethanwepaidforCharlie,”Cliffsaid.“It'sstillabargain,”Ireplied.Successseemedwithinourgrasp.Webroughtthecratesquicklytothe“CratingCompany”,wherethehusbandandthesonhammered,measured,hammeredagainandfinallyrebuiltfortwohours.Theycharged$20—doublethecostofCharlie.ButwhenCharliewasputintothehugecrate,hebecametoolargetofitintooursmallcar.Werestedthecrateonthesidewalkandallsatwithourheadsinourhands.Finally,theladysaid:“Mybrotherhadatruck.Hewilltakethepottoyourhotelatmidnight.Youpayforthegas.”Shortlyaftermidnight,thetruckarrivedatourhotelwithCharlie.Nextmorning,IrodeinacabwithCharlie,whileCliffandGeorgedroveintheVolkswagentotheairport.Attheairportfreightdepartment,Charlieweighedinatmorethan100pounds.Thecosttoflyhimhome:$85.AfewdaysafterwearrivedinMiami,wereceivedacall.“George,”Cliffsaidashehungupthephone,“yourbrotherhasarrived.”Thetwoofthemdrovetotheairport.Hadour$10bargain,whichcostalmost$150,survivedinonepiece?Finallythecarpulledup.OffcameCharlie,moreregalthanI'dremembered,hisambercolorradiant.Severalyearslater,Charlieholdsalotofmemories—andalotofumbrellas.

ReadthepassageandjudgethefollowingstatementsbyTrue,FalseorNotmentioned.

1.Thenarratorisexperiencedindrivingabargain.

2.Thenarratorboughtthepotfor$10.Shesaved$90becauseasimilarpotinherhometownwouldcosther$100.

3.Asthepotoccupiedalotofspace,thenarrator'ssonGeorgehadnoroominthecar.

4.Charliewasthenarrator'sotherchild.

5.Thepurposeofcratingthepotwastoprotectitfrombeingbrokenduringthejourney.

6.Thecratingcompanyrecommendedbytheairlineclerkwasactuallyhisownfamilybusiness.

7.WiththemoneythenarratorspentonCharlie,shecouldhaveboughtasimilarpotinMiami.

8.Thankstothehardworkofthenarrator'sfamily,Charliearrivedhome