The Babylonian Talmud (犹太法典) tells of a man who gives his wife a bill of divorce on such a parchment, but holds onto the string so that he can snatch it back, should he choose to do so. The divorce, therefore, is not considered valid since he will not give it freely. Similarly, love, forgiveness or friendship that is given with strings attached are not valid, since they can be snatched back at any time.
16. The father's ad in the newspaper __________.
A. touched the hearts of many sons
B. was a means to persuade the son
C., made the son apologize to him
D. solved the problem with his son
17. By saying "All is forgiven", the father intends to ____________.
A. win his son's forgiveness
B. reconsider his son's problems
C. leave his son alone
D. forget about the unpleasant past
18. The expression "no strings attached" means" _____________"
A. without treatment B. without conflict of interest
C. without explanations D. without conditions
19. It can be learned from the last paragraph that ____________.
A. the man wanted to give his wife freedom
B. the man gave his wife a restricted divorce
C. the wife did not want to divorce her husband
D. the wife refused to give her husband a free divorce
20. It can be concluded from the passage that ____________.
A. successful marriage requires complete freedom
B. family members should learn to forgive each other
C. tree love should be unconditional
D. human emotions should not be restricted
Questions 21-25 are based on the following passage:
In a global survey released in 2012, half the responders admitted to buying things they really did not need. Two thirds are worried that consumers are buying too much. Such concerns may be justified. Many consumers have become trapped in debt.
Researchers say that instead of making us more satisfied, high levels of consumption may lead to greater stress and unhappiness!
As consumers, we are subjected to a great amount of marketing. What is the goal of marketers? To mm wants into needs. Marketers know that consumer behavior is driven largely by emotion. So advertisements and the shopping experience itself are designed for maximum emotional appeal.
When you ask a consumer: Why do you buy so much? He or she may answer: I want to improve my quality of life. It is natural that people want a better life. Advertisers bombard us with messages that all of our desires-better health, security, relief from stress, and closer relationships-can be achieved by making the right purchases.
But actually, as our number of possessions increases, our quality of life can actually decrease. Additional time and money are needed to care for more material things. Stress levels rise because of pressure from debt, and there is less time for family and friends. So you should protect yourself from becoming a victim of clever marketers. You should put emotion aside, and compare marketing promises with reality.
21. The first paragraph tells us that ____________.
A. half the things people buy are not needed
B. most consumers are trapped in debt
C. excessive buying is common
D. consumption brings satisfaction
22. According to the author, the goal of marketers is to ____________.
A. turn the consumers' desires into consumptions
B. carefully study the consumers' emotion
C. make sure the consumers' needs are met
D. make more money by cheating
23. Many consumers are buying too much, because ____________.
A. they don't know what they really need
B. they want to stay in fashion
C. they enjoy the shopping experiences
D. they tend to be attracted by ads
24. The word "bombard" in the third paragraph is closest in meaning to" _____________".
A. break B. attack
C. convince D. supervise
25. The purpose of the author in writing this article is to _____________.
A. reveal marketing tricks
B. explain the working theory of ads
C. advise people against over-spending
D. analyze consumer behavior
Questions 26-30 are based on the following table:
Marital Status in the UK in 1991 and 2011

Marital Status	Percentage in 1991		Percentage in 2011
	Male	Female	Male	Female
Single	24	19	34	26
Married	71	65	54	52
Widowed	4	15	4	13
Divorced	1	1	8	9

A. Divorced. B. Widowed.
C. Married. D. Single.

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