Question

In the summer vacation of 1997, I was fixed with a job. I worked as a(n) ___36___ at Mr. Breen’s fruit shop. The fruit shop did ___37___ business. Most of the trade came from the housewives who lived in the neighbourhood, ___38___ he also had regular customers who arrived outside the shop in cars. Mr Breen ___39___ them all by name and they sometimes even had their order already made up, always ___40___ me to carry it out to their car. They were clearly long-standing customers, and I ___41___ they must have stayed faithful to him ___42___ he had promised to sell good quality ___43___. He had a way with them—I had to ___44___ that. He called every woman “madam” for a start, ___45___ those who clearly were not, but when he ___46___ it, it did not sound like flattery (奉承). It just sounded ___47___ in an old-fashioned way. He was a great chatter ___48___. If he did not know them, he would greet them with a few ___49___ about the weather, ___50___ he did, he would ask about their families or make ___51___, always cutting his cloth ___52___ his customers. Whatever their bills came to, be ___53___ gave them back the few odd pence (零钱), and I am sure they thought he was very generous (慷慨). But I thought he was the opposite. He never ___54___ anything away. He was always looking for ___55___ for nothing.
36. A. operator      B. assistant     C. waiter D. secretary
37. A. good    B. poor   C. big     D. usual
38. A. so B. when  C. therefore    D. but
39. A. sold     B. knew  C. gave   D. sent
40. A. making B. letting C. getting       D. keeping
41. A. wish     B. insist   C. declare       D. suppose
42. A. when    B. if C. because      D. though
43. A. food     B. fruit    C. vegetables  D. drink
44. A. admit   B. expect C. announce    D. promise
45. A. yet       B. only    C. just     D. even
46. A. told      B. said    C. spoke  D. talked
47. A. serious B. strange       C. polite  D. familiar
48. A. as well B. as usual      C. either  D. also
49. A. sayings B. questions    C. words D. speeches
50. A. and then      B. and so C. even if       D. but if
51. A. preparations B. jokes   C. repairs       D. friends
52. A. according to B. due to C. instead of   D. up to
53. A. never   B. ever    C. seldom       D. always
54. A. took     B. moved       C. threw  D. turned.
55. A. something    B. anything     C. somebody   D. anybody

Answer 1

36---55      BADBC   DCBAD   BCACD   BADCA          

文章主要讲“我”在一家水果店打工所见识的老板的特殊经营之道。
36. B。在水果店做店员，用assistant。
37. A。根据下文可知，这个店的生意一直不错(good)。
38. D。此处用but表转折关系。句意为：大多数的生意来自于住在附近的家庭主妇，但也有些常客乘车从外地来。
39. B。know sb by name 意为“只知道某人的名字”。
40. C。get sb to do sth 意为“叫某人做某事”。动词make和let后接不定式作宾语补足语时要省加重to，keep不能用不定式作宾语补足语。
41. D。此处是作者根据自己了解的情况(even had their order already made up…long-standing customers等)所作出的猜测。
42. C。顾客信任他是因为他许诺卖给他们优质水果。表原因，用because。
43. B。由于是水果店，自然是卖fruit。
44. A。由于水果店的老板把生意一直做得很好，所以“我”不得不承认(admit)他与顾客打交道有自己的一套方法。
45. D。句意为：老板开始对每一个woman都称madam，即使那些明显不是madam的woman，他也这样称呼。（由此可看出老板的圆滑）
46. B。此处用say强调所说的内容。大意是：老板称那些明显不是madam的woman为madam，但却一点听不出像是奉承。(这也体现了老板的交际水平)
47. C。由前句可知，老板这样说听起来不像是奉承，只是像有点过时的polite。
48. A。他也是一个健谈的人。also, either, as well 都可表示“也”，其区别是：also用于句中；either 用在否定句；as well 用于句末。
49. C。对于不熟的人用谈论天气的话来问候或搭腔。（这是英美人的交际习惯）
50. D。前面说if he did not know them…(如果他不认识他们)，此处说 if he did (know them)…(如果他认识他们)，两者的意思显然为对比或转折关系。
51. B。此处说的是，老板跟熟悉的人交谈，就问候他们的家人或跟他们开开玩笑。(这也是合乎常理的)
52. A。cut one’s cloth according to one’s customers 意为“量体裁衣”。此处说的是老板的讲话很到位。
53. D。此处说的是，无论账上的数目是多少，老板总要(always)给顾客找一些零钱——其目的是要让顾客认为他很慷慨。（这也从一个角度可以看出老板的生意之道）
54. C。前面说老板千方百计想显得自己很慷慨，但作者自己却完全持相反的观点。他认为老板从来不扔掉任何东西(never threw anything away)。
55. A。looking for something for nothing 指不要花钱而得到某物。for nothing 是习语，意为“免费”。