Questions 13 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.
问题1选项
A.They will pick up some souvenirs or gift items.
B.They will have their vehicles washed or serviced.
C.They will take advantage of the time to rest a while.
D.They will buy something from the convenience stores.14.
问题2选项
A.They may eventually drive one to bankruptcy.
B.They should be done away with altogether.
C.They are meant for the extremely wealthy.
D.They can bring only temporary pleasures.15.
问题3选项
A.Small daily savings can make a big difference in one’s life.
B.A vacation will be affordable if one saves 20 dollars a week.
C.Retirement savings should come first in one’s family budgeting.
D.A good way to socialize is to have daily lunch with one’s colleagues.
Passage Two It’s no accident that most gas stations have convenience stores attached. [13] Few of us can fill up the tank without buying a few snacks, cigarettes, soft drinks or other items we can live without. I deserve it. That’s what hard working men and women say to justify their lavish vacations, big stereo systems or regular restaurant meals. They do deserve such indulgences. However, they also deserve a home of their own—a secure retirement and freedom from worrying about unpaid bills. No one should have to live with what a Texas mother described as constant stress, tension, even fear about money. [14] Sadly, the pleasure that comes from extravagances often disappears long before the bills do. The video camera that one single mother bought for a special occasion, for example, is not much fun now. She’s figured out that it will take her another three years to pay it off at $30 a month. And the New Yorkers who spent a bundle on an outdoor hot tub now admit they rarely use it, because we can’t afford to heat it in winter. The solution: set priorities—add up the annual cost of each item, then consider what else you could buy with the same money. That will help you decide which items are really worth it. One Chicago woman, for example, discovered that daily lunches with coworkers cost her $2,000 a year; she decided to take lunch to work instead. [15] “I now put $20 a week into my vacation fund and another 20 into retirement savings,” she says. “Those mean more to me than lunch.”
13. What does the speaker say about drivers who stop at gas stations? 【试题答案】D 【试题解析】题目问关于停在加油站的司机，说话者说了什么？录音开头提到，大部分加油站旁边都会有便利店。很少人在加油站给车辆加油时不会顺道去买一些零食、烟、软饮料等。由此可知，D选项“他们会在便利店买一些东西”正确。A选项“他们会挑选一些纪念品或者礼物”；B选项“他们会将车辆拿去清洗或进行其他服务”和C选项“他们会利用时间休息一会儿”在录音中均未提及。 14. What does the speaker say about extravagances? 【试题答案】D 【试题解析】题目问关于奢侈，说话者说了什么？录音提到，一些努力工作赚钱的人认为他们花钱奢侈地度假、买巨型的立体音响，或者去餐馆吃饭都无可厚非，但是这种享受奢侈消费带来的快乐很短暂，通常在你的账单尚未还清时就已消失殆尽。由此可知，D选项“它们只能带来短暂的快乐”与录音原文表述一致。A选项“它们最终会使人走向破产”；B选项“它们应该被彻底摒弃”和C选项“它们代表着非常富有”均不正确。 15. What does the speaker want to show by the example of the Chicago woman? 【试题答案】A 【试题解析】题目问说话者想通过芝加哥女士的例子表明什么？录音最后举了一个例子：一个生活在芝加哥的女士发现，自己每天跟同事一起吃午饭所花的钱一年累计下来达两千美元。后来该女士就开始自己带午餐。接着她说到自己如今每星期都会把节省下来的钱分别存储到旅游资金和退休积蓄上，对她来说这钱省下来比花在午餐上更加有意义。由此可知，A选项“每日少量的积蓄对个人生活意义重大”符合题意。B选项“如果一个人每周节省20美元，度假是可以接受的”，录音中只提到女士每周把20美元存到旅游资金 中，并没有说节省下来的这笔钱就能负担得起旅游费用，因此排除B选项；C选项“退休储蓄应该排在家庭预算第一位”和D选项“交际的好方法就是与同事一起吃午饭”在录音中均没有信息提及，所以不正确。
