Auctions are public sales of goods, conducted by an officially approved auctioneer. He or she asks the assembled crowd in the auction-room to make offers, or “bids”，for the various items on sale. He encourages buyers to bid higher figures, and finally names the highest bidder as the buyer of the goods. This is called “knocking down” the goods. For the bidding ends when the auctioneer bangs a small hammer on a table at which he stands. This is often set on a raised platform called a rostrum.
The ancient Romans probably invented sales by auction, and the English word comes from the Latin auction, meaning “increase”. The Romans usually sold in this way the spoils taken in war; these sales were called “sub basra,” meaning “under the spear”，a spear being stuck in the ground as a signal for a crowd to gather. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries goods were often sold “by the candle”，a short candle was lit by the auctioneer; and bids could be made while it stayed alight.
An auction is usually advertised beforehand with full particulars of the articles to be sold and where and when they can be viewed by possible buyers. If the advertisement cannot give full details, catalogues are printed, and each group of goods to be sold together, called a “lot” is usually given a number. The auctioneer need not begin with Lot 1 and continue in numerical order. He may wait until he registers the fact that certain dealers are in the room and then produce the lots they are likely to be interested in. The auctioneer's services are paid for in the form of a percentage of the price the goods are sold for. The auctioneer therefore has a direct interest in pushing up the bidding as high as possible.
Practically all goods whose qualities vary are sold by auction. Among these are coffee, hides, skins, wool, tea, cocoa, furs, spices, fruit and vegetables and wines. Auction sales are also usual for land and property, antique, furniture, pictures, rare books, old china and similar works of art. The auction rooms at Christie’s and Sotheby’s in London and New York are world famous.
1.Auctioned goods are sold （ ）.
2.The end of the bidding is called “knocking down” because （ ）.
3.The Romans used to sell （ ） by auction.
4.A candle used to bum at auction sales （ ）.
5.The auctioneer may decide to sell the out of order because（ ）.
问题1选项
A.for the highest price offered
B.only at fixed prices
C.at a price less than their true value
D.very cheaply
问题2选项
A.the auctioneer knocks the buyer dow
B.the auctioneer knocks the rostrum down
C.the goods are knocked down on to the table
D.the auctioneer bangs the table with a hammer
问题3选项
A.spoil goods
B.property taken from the enemy
C.old worn-out weapons
D.spears
问题4选项
A.because they took place at night
B.as a signal for the crowd together
C.to limit the time when offers could be made
D.to keep the auctioneer warm
问题5选项
A.he sometimes wants to confuse the buyers.
B.he know from experience that certain people will want to buy certain items.
C.he wants to keep certain people waiting.
D.he wants to reduce the number.
第1题:A
第2题:D
第3题:A
第4题:C
第5题:B
第1题:
【选项释义】
Auctioned goods are sold ( ). 拍卖的物品被（ ）出售。
A. for the highest price offered A. 以最高报价购买
B. only at fixed prices B. 只有固定价格
C. at a price less than their true value C. 价格低于其真实价值
D. very cheaply D. 非常便宜
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据选项关键词the highest定位文章首段第三句He encourages buyers to bid higher figures, and finally names the highest bidder as the buyer of the goods.（他鼓励买家出价更高，最后将出价最高的人命名为商品的买家）可知A选项“以最高报价购买”正确。
【干扰项排除】
B选项“只有固定价格”，根据拍卖会的性质可知被拍卖的物品都是没有固定价格的，而是采取竞价的方式，属于曲解原文；
C、D选项均未在文中体现，属于无中生有。
第2题:
【选项释义】
The end of the bidding is called “knocking down” because ( ). 竞拍的结束被称为“knocking down”，因为（ ）。
A. the auctioneer knocks the buyer down A. 拍卖师把买家击倒
B. the auctioneer knocks the rostrum down B. 拍卖师把讲台推倒了
C. the goods are knocked down on to the table C. 货物被撞倒在桌子上
D. the auctioneer bangs the table with a hammer D. 拍卖师用锤子敲打桌子
【考查点】词汇推断题。
【解题思路】根据题干关键词knocking down定位文章首段第四句This is called “knocking down” the goods.（这就是所谓的“成交”），结合下一句For the bidding ends when the auctioneer bangs a small hammer on a table at which he stands.（因为当拍卖师把一个小锤子敲在他站着的桌子上时，竞价就结束了）可知此处指的是“拍卖师用锤子敲打桌子”来表示该商品“成交”，因此D选项正确。
【干扰项排除】
A、B、C选项均与文章表述不符，属于曲解原文。
第3题:
【选项释义】
The Romans used to sell ( ) by auction. 罗马人过去用拍卖的方式出售（ ）。
A. spoil goods A. 战利品
B. property taken from the enemy B. 从敌人那里夺取的财产
C. old worn-out weapons C. 破旧的武器
D. spears D. 矛
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据spoil定位文章第二段第二句The Romans usually sold in this way the spoils taken in war（罗马人通常用这种方式出售在战争中获得的战利品）可知A选项“战利品”正确。
【干扰项排除】
B、C选项均未在文中体现，属于无中生有；
D选项“矛”指的是罗马人的拍卖方式被叫做“sub basra”的含义，与题干无关，属于答非所问。
第4题:
【选项释义】
A candle used to burn at auction sales ( ). 拍卖会上用燃烧的蜡烛（ ）。
A. because they took place at night A. 因为它们发生在晚上
B. as a signal for the crowd together B. 作为人群聚集的信号
C. to limit the time when offers could be made C. 来限制报价的时间
D. to keep the auctioneer warm D. 让拍卖师保持温暖
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】根据题干关键词candle定位第二段尾句In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries goods were often sold “by the candle”，a short candle was lit by the auctioneer; and bids could be made while it stayed alight.（在18和19世纪，商品通常被“按蜡烛”出售，拍卖师点燃一支短蜡烛；而且可以在它还亮着的时候出价）可知当蜡烛燃烧殆尽后，拍卖就结束了，因此它是用来“限制报价的时间”的，因此C选项正确。
【干扰项排除】
A、D选项均未在文中体现，属于无中生有；
B选项“作为人群聚集的信号”指的是把矛插在地上的时候所代表的信号，与题干无关，属于答非所问。
第5题:
【选项释义】
The auctioneer may decide to sell the out of order because ( ). 拍卖师可能会因为（ ）而决定打乱商品的顺序。
A. he sometimes wants to confuse the buyers A. 他有时想把买家搞糊涂
B. he knows from experience that certain people will want to buy certain items B. 根据经验，他知道某些人会想买某些商品。
C. he wants to keep certain people waiting C. 他想让某些人久等
D. he wants to reduce the number D. 他想减少这个数字
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】根据选项关键词certain定位文章第三段第四句He may wait until he registers the fact that certain dealers are in the room and then produce the lots they are likely to be interested in.（他会在确定对商品感兴趣的买家到来之后才开始拍卖），结合上一句The auctioneer need not begin with Lot 1 and continue in numerical order.（拍卖师不必从1号拍品开始，然后按数字顺序继续拍卖）可知B选项“根据经验，他知道某些人会想买某些商品”正确。
【干扰项排除】
A、C、D选项均未在文中体现，属于无中生有。
