Question

Like many lovers of books, Mary and her husband, Richard Goldman, seldom walked past a bookstore without stopping to look inside. They often talked of opening their own store one day.

When Mary was in hospital with heart trouble in 1989, they decided it was time to get serious. Richard, who worked for a business company, expected to work for himself, and Mary needed to slow down from her job.

They started by talking to bookstore owners and researching the industry(产业). “We knew it had to be a specialty(专业) store because we couldn’t afford enough money,” says Mary. One idea came to her: She’d read somewhere that about 20 percent of books sold were mysteries, and many buyers spent more $300 a year on books. She and Richard were themselves mystery readers.

On Halloween 1992, they opened the Mystery Lovers Bookshop and Café near their home. With three children in college, the couple could not spend all the family’s money to start a shop. To pay the $100,000 cost, they drew some of their savings, borrowed from friends and from a bank.

The store only broke even in its first year, with only $120,000 in sales. But Mary was always coming up with new ways to attract(吸引) buyers. The shop had a coffee bar and it offered gifts to mystery lovers and provided dinners for book clubs that met in the store. She also invited some writers to discuss their stories.

Today Mystery Lovers makes sales of about $420,000 a year. After paying taxes, business costs and the six part-time sales workers, Richard and Mary together earn about $34,000.

“The job you love may not go hand in hand with a million-dollar income(收入)” says Richard. “This has always been about a pleasant life for ourselves, not about making a lot of money.”

1.When Mary was in hospital, the couple realized that ____.

A. they had to put their plan into practice

B. health was more important than money

C. heart trouble was a serious illness

D. they both needed to stop working

2.After Mary got well from her illness they began _____.

A. to study how to open a bookstore

B. to buy and read more mystery books

C. to do market research on book business

D. to work harder to save money for the bookstore

3.How did their bookstore do in the first year?

A. They had to borrow money to keep it going.

B. They made just enough to pay all the costs.

C. They succeeded in making a lot of money.

D. They failed though they worked hard.

4.According to Richard, the main purpose of opening the bookstore is _____.

A. to pay for their children’s education

B. to get to know more writers

C. to set up more bookstores

D. to do what they like to do

Answer 1

1.A

2.C

3.B

4.D

【解析】

试题分析： 玛丽和她的丈夫像许多书籍爱好者一样，李察戈德曼，很少路过书店而不进去看看。他们经常谈论自己将来有一天开一家书店。玛丽生病住院了，他们开始谈论到拥有自己的书店并且研究这个产业。等她出院之后，他们开设了自己的书店。

1.1】细节理解题。问题：当玛丽生病住院的时候，这对夫妇认识到了什么？联系原文：They started by talking to bookstore owners and researching the industry(产业). 句意：他们开始谈论到拥有自己的书店并且研究这个产业。明确他们将计划列入到日程中。故选A

2.2】细节理解题。问题：在玛丽恢复了健康之后，他们开始做了什么？分析：短文明确讲述了她在出院之后，开始走入市场对这个行业进行了调查，与讨论。明确答案为第三项。故选 C

3.The store only broke even in its first year, with only $120,000 in sales. But Mary was always coming up with new ways to attract(吸引) buyers. 句意：店里在第一年就有所突破，销售额只有120000美元。但是，玛丽总是想出新的方法来吸引买家。明确书店的费用能支付所有花费。因此选择第二项。故选B

4.李察戈德曼，他们开设书店的主要目的是什么？联系原文：This has always been about a pleasant life for ourselves, not about making a lot of money.句意: 这一直是自己一个快乐的生活，而不是为了挣钱。明确只是做了他们想做的事情。故选D

考点：故事类短文阅读。