But if the man on the moon liked to swim，he would be unhappy. There is no water on the moon — just dust and rock.
When you think of what it’s like on the moon，you may wonder why it interests our scientists. One reason is that the moon is Earth’s nearest neighbor — it is the easiest place in space to get to.
Going back and forth between the moon and Earth，astronauts will get a lot of practice in space travel. Things learned on moon trips will be of great help to astronauts who later take long，long trips to some of the planets.
Scientists are also interested in the moon because it has no air. The air that surrounds Earth cuts down the view of the scientists who look at the stars through telescopes. A telescope on the moon would give them a clearer，closer view of the stars. 31．Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
A．The Moon
B．The Man on the Moon D．What Is It Like on the Moon?
C．Research on the Moon
32．What is the reason why our scientists are interested in the moon?
A．The moon is beautiful.
B．The moon is different from the Earth.
C．The moon is Earth’s nearest neighbor — it is the easiest place in space to get to.
D．The moon is the easiest place in space to get to and it has no air，unlike Earth. 33．Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A．The climate on the moon is quite different from that on the Earth. B．Traveling between the moon and Earth will do much good to astronauts. C．There is some food and weeds on the moon，even though there’s no air. D．If you want to drink hot water on the moon，it’s not so hard to boil water. 34．The underlined word “rims” in Paragraph 8 means ________.
A．ball B．hill C．round edge D．height 35．What is the main idea of the passage?
A．We can learn much from research on the moon. B．There may be human beings on the moon.
C. If there were a man on the moon，there would be many similarities between
the man on the moon and on the Earth.
D．A telescope on the moon would help scientists have a clearer，closer sight
of the stars.
C
In Western countries people have been using the installment (分期付款) plan since the first half of the twentieth century. Today, a large number of families in Great Britain buy furniture, household goods and cars by installments. In the U.S.A., the figure is much higher than in Great Britain, and people there spend over 10 percent of their income on the installment plan.
The price of an article bought on installments is always higher than the price that would be paid by cash. There is a charge for interest. The buyer pays one quarter or one third of the price as a down payment (预付定金) when the goods are delivered to him. He then makes regular payments, weekly or monthly, until the full price is paid up. The legal ownership of the goods remains with the seller until the final payment has been made.
Installment buying has advantages and disadvantages. It can help couples with small incomes to furnish their homes and start housekeeping. It increases the demand for goods, and in this way helps business and employment. There is, however, the danger that when business is bad, installment buying may end suddenly, making business much worse. This may result in a great increase in unemployment. If the people on the installment plan lose their jobs, they will probably not be able to make their payments. If great numbers of people are not able to pay their installment debts, there is a possibility that businessmen cannot collect their debts and will therefore lose money. If businessmen lose money or fail to make a satisfactory profit, it becomes more likely to have a depression (萧条). This is why, in some countries, the government controls the installment plan by fixing the amount of the down payment and installments to discourage people from buying more than they can pay for on the installment plan.
36. Which of the following is NOT TRUE about the installment plan?
A. A lot of British families use the installment plan.
B. More than 10 percent of American families buy things on installments. C. Americans depend more on installment than British people do. D. Americans spend one tenth of their income on installment buying.
37. Goods bought on installments are more expensive than goods bought by cash because
A. the buyer has to pay extra money as interest B. the delivery of the goods charges extra money C. the buyer has to pay a down payment
D. the service offered by installment plan charged extra money
38. What will happen to a buyer if he fails to make the full payment for an item
bought on installments? A. He might lose his job.
B. He will stop owning the item he has bought. C. He will have to sell what he has bought. D. He will go into debt.
39. The advantage of installment buying might include all the following EXCEPT that
_____.
A. purchasing power is strengthened. B. employment might be increased
C. people develop a good habit of saving money D. young couples are able to furnish their homes
40. In some countries, the governments control the installment plan to _____. A. increase employment B. avoid depressions
C. ensure that businesses make good profits D. ensure that people can pay for what they buy
D
The drug store was closing for the night and Alfred Higgins was about to go home when his new boss approached him.
“Empty your pockets please, Alfred,” Sam Carr demanded in a firm voice.
Alfred pretended to be shocked but he knew he’d been caught. From his coat he withdrew a make-up kit, a lipstick and two tubes of toothpaste.
“I’m disappointed in you, Alfred!” said the little gray-haired man. “Sorry, sir. Please forgive me. It’s the first time I’ve ever done such a thing,” Alfred lied, hoping to gain the old man’s sympathy.
Mr Carr’s brow furrowed as he reached for the phone, “Do you take me for a fool? Let’s see what the police have to say. But first I’ll call your mother and let her know her son is heading to jail.”
“Do whatever you want,” Alfred shot back, trying to sound big. But deep down he felt like a child. He imagined his mother rushing in, eyes burning with anger, maybe in tears. Yet he wanted her to come quickly before Mr. Carr called the police.
Mr. Carr was surprised when Mrs Higgins finally arrived. She was very calm, quiet and friendly. “Is Alfred in trouble?” she asked.
“He’s been stealing from the store,” the old man coolly replied.
Mrs. Higgins put out her hand and touched Mr. Carr’s arm with great gentleness as if she knew just how he felt. She spoke as if she did not want to cause him any more trouble. “What do you want to do, Mr. Carr?”
The woman’s calm and gentle manner disarmed the once-angry store-owner. “I was going to get a cop. But I don’t want to be cruel. Tell your son not to come back here again, and I’ll let it go.” Then he warmly shook Mrs. Higgins’s hand.
Mrs. Higgins thanked the old man for his kindness, then mother and son left. They walked along the street in silence. When they arrived home his mother simply said, “Go to bed, you fool.”
In his bedroom, Alfred heard his mother in the kitchen. He felt no shame, only pride in his mother’s actions. “She was smooth!” he thought. He went to the kitchen to tell her how great she was, but was shocked by what he saw.
His mother’s face looked frightened, broken. Not the cool, bright face he saw earlier. Her lips moved nervously. She looked very old. There were tears in her eyes.
This picture of his mother made him want to cry. He felt his youth ending. He saw all the troubles he brought her and the deep lines of worry in her grey face.
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