阅读理解 Ten years ago, Pierre Omidyar, a software engineer working in Californi

题文

阅读理解
Ten years ago, Pierre Omidyar, a software engineer working in California’s Silicon Valley, began
thinking about how to use the internet for a trading system in which buyers and sellers could establish
a genuine market price. Over a long holiday weekend he wrote the computer code. At first, a trickle
of users arrived at his website-including his girlfriend, who traded PEZ candy dispensers. By the end
of 1995, several thousand auctions had been completed and interest in eBay was growing. And it grew
and grew. From this modest beginning, eBay has become a global giant, with around 150m registered
users worldwide who are set to buy and sell goods worth more than $40 billion this year.
The remarkable tale of eBay’s growth points to some important lessons for any business trying to
operate online-and today that includes, one way or another, most firms. The commercial opportunities
presented by an expanding global web seem almost limitless. But the pace of change is rapid, and so
is the ferocity（激烈）of competition. To succeed, firms need agility(灵活), an open mind and the
ability to reinvent themselves repeatedly. Most of all, they need to listen carefully to their customers,
paying close attention to what they do and don’t want.
Such qualities, of course, would be valuable in any kind of business. Yet for online firms they are
not a luxury, but necessary for mere survival. This is true for a variety of reasons. The internet is not
only growing, but changing rapidly-which, in turn, changes the rules of the game for any business
relying on it. The barriers to entry are still low compared with those for most offline businesses,
which means that just keeping track of your existing rivals is not enough. These may not represent the
greatest competitive threat tomorrow or the next day. That could come from a number of
directions-a firm in a different type of online business; one that does not yet exist; or even from one
of your own customers. On top of all this, the behavior of many consumers is constantly changing
as well, as individuals discover new ways to shop and interact with each other via the web.
All these factors make the internet a dangerous place to do business, as well as one full of
promise. eBay’s history demonstrates both of those things. It is probably safe to say that nothing
like eBay could have existed without the internet-or could have grown so fast. Even though there have
been signs of the firm’s blistering(快速的) pace slowing a bit in America, its most “mature” market,
there remain vast opportunities overseas, particularly, some argue, in China. Meg Whitman, eBay’s
chief executive, believes the company is still only at the beginning of what it could achieve.
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?
A. To introduce the founder of eBay and his girlfriend.
B. To demonstrate how clever the founder of eBay is.
C. To show how eBay started and has grown.
D. To introduce eBay to people.
2. Which of the following best summarizes Pierre Omidyar’s intention with regard to eBay?
A. To set up a global internet business.
B. To allow people to freely buy and sell on the internet at acceptable prices.
C. To set up a mechanism on the internet to allow people to trade at true market prices.
D. To se up a business mechanism for his girlfriend.

3. Which of these is it NOT necessary for a company selling on the internet to do?
A. Have the most competitive price for each of their online products.
B. Be able to change to suit the prevailing（流行的，优势的）market conditions.
C. Be prepared to consider all options and alternatives.
D. Have a good idea of what their customers do not want.
4. What does “barriers to entry are still low compared with those for most offline businesses”
   in paragraph 3 mean?
A. It is easier to set up an internet business than a conventional one.
B. Internet trade is growing faster than traditional business sector.
C. It is cheaper to set up an internet business than a traditional one.
D. Companies generally prefer to do business online rather than offline.
5. Why does the article conclude that the internet “is a dangerous place to do business”?
A. Because companies that sell online may be unreliable.
B. Because there are no controls on doing business on the internet.
C. Because doing business online is unpredictable.
D. Because even companies like eBay have problems doing business online.

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故事类阅读

故事类阅读概念：

这类文章一般描述的是某一件具体事情的发生发展或结局，有人物、时间、地点和事件。命题往往从故事的情节、人物或事件的之间的关系、作者的态度及意图、故事前因和后果的推测等方面着手，考查学生对细节的辨认能力以及推理判断能力。

故事类阅读应试技巧：

1、抓住文章的6个要素：
阅读时要学会从事情本身的发展去理解故事情节而不要只看事件在文中出现的先后顺序。因此，无论是顺叙还是倒叙，阅读此类文章时，必须要找到它结构中的5个W（when, where, who, why, what）和1个H（how），不过不是每篇都会完整地交待六个要素。毫无疑问，寻出这些元素是能够正确快速解题的一个先决条件。
2、注意作者的议论和抒情：
高考英语阅读理解故事类文章常伴随着作者思想情感的流露和表达，因此议论和抒情往往夹杂其中。行文时或按事情发生发展的先后时间进行或按事情发生发展的地点来转换，也可能按事情发展的阶段来布局。在引出话题，讲完一件事情后，作者往往会表达个人感悟或提出建议等。这些体现作者观点或思想的语句在阅读时可以划线，它们往往体现文章中心或者写作意图，属于必考点，所以要仔细体会。
3、结合前两点归纳文章中心，把握作者态度：
故事类文章是通过记叙一件事来表达中心思想的，它是文章的灵魂。归纳文章中心思想时，尤其要分析文章的结尾，因为很多文章卒章显志，用简短的议论、抒情揭示文章中心；文章中议论抒情的句子往往与中心密切相关；也有的文章需要在结合概括各段大意的基础上归纳中心。另外，叙述一件事必有其目的，或阐明某一观点，或赞美某种品德，或抨击某种陋习，这就要求我们在阅读时，通过对细节（第1点中的六要素）的理解，把握作者的态度。
4、有章有据进行解题判断：
分析文章，归纳主题，属于分析、概括、综合的表述能力的考查。切忌脱离文章，架空分析，一定让分析在文章中有依据。