Directions: Read the following text and choose the most suitable heading from A-

Directions: Read the following text andchoose the most suitable heading from A-F for each paragraph. There is oneextra heading which you do not need.

   Auctions are public sales ofgoods, conducted by an officially approved auctioneer. He asks the crowdassembled in the auction-room to make offers, or “bids” for the various itemson sale. He encourages buyers to bid higher figures, and finally names thehighest bidder as the buyer of the goods. This is called “knocking down” thegoods., for the bidding ends when the auctioneer strikes a small hammer on atable at which he stands.

2.

   The ancient Roman probablyinvented sales by auction, and the English word comes from the Latin auctio,meaning “increase”. The Romans usually sold in this way the goods taken in war.In England in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, goods were often sold “bythe candle”, a short candle was lit by the auctioneer and bids could be madewhile it stayed alight.

3.

   Practically all goods whosequalities vary are sold by auction. Among these are coffee, skins, wool, tea,furs, silk and wines. Auction sales are also usual for land and property,furniture, pictures, rare boks, old china and similar works of art.

4.

   An auction is usuallyadvertised beforehand with full particulars of the articles to be sold andwhere and when they can be viewed by potential buyers. If the advertisementcannot give full details. Catalogues are printed, and each group of goods to besold together, called a “lot”, is usually given a number. The auctioneer neednot begin with Lot I and continue in the order of numbers: he may wait until henotices the fact that certain buyers are in the room and then produce the lotsthey are likely to be interested in.

5.

   The auctioneer’s services arepaid for in the form of a percentage of the price the goods are sold for. Theauctioneer therefore has a direct interest in pushing up the bidding as high aspossible. He will not waste time by starting the bidding too low. He will alsoplay on the opponents among his buyers and succeed in getting a high price byencouraging two business competitors to bid against each other.

试题答案

【答案】

1.B

【详解】从文章中可以看出，这一段讲的是拍卖时的叫价到底是怎么回事。因此选B。

2.D

【详解】由The ancient Roman就有拍卖这一形式，说明这一段是讲述拍卖会的历史。所以选D。

3.A

【详解】由第一句Practically all goods whose qualities vary are sold by auction就可以得出这一段讲的是用来拍卖的货物有哪些。

4.C

【详解】由第一句An auction is usually advertised beforehand with full particulars ofthe articles to be sold and where and when they can be viewed by potentialbuyers.可以看出，因为做广告的目的就是为了在拍卖会上卖更多的拍卖品。

5.F

【详解】从文章可以看出，当拍卖商赚钱，所以答案应当是F。

【专家备考建议】这篇阅读材料在测试形式和要求上也作了改动，旨在考查考生对短文段落中心思想的概括，从所给六个段落标题中选出五个正确答案。学会找关键句，用关键词来猜测关键句，这能力越来越需要得到重视。这一题型是新题型，但会越来越重要。必须引起考生的注意。