Question

They wear the latest fashions with the most up-to-date accessories(配饰). Yet these are not girls in their teens or twenties but women in their sixties and seventies．A generation which would once only wear old-fashioned clothes is now favouring the same high street looks worn by those half their age．

Professor Julia Twigg, a social policy expert, said, “Women over 75 are now shopping for clothes more frequently than they did when they were young in the 1960s．In the 1960s buying a coat for a woman was a serious matter．It was an expensive item that they would purchase only every three or four years — now you can pick one up at the supermarket whenever you wish to．Fashion is a lot cheaper and people get tired of things more quickly.”

Professor Twigg analysed family expenditure(支出) data and found that while the percentage of spending on clothes and shoes by women had stayed around the same — at 5 or 6 percent of spending — the amount of clothes bought had risen sharply．

The professor said, “Clothes are now 70 percent cheaper than they were in the 1960s because of the huge expansion of production in the Far East．In the 1960s Leeds was the heart of the British fashion industry and that was where most of the clothes came from, but now almost all of our clothes are sourced elsewhere．Everyone is buying more clothes but in general we are not spending more money on them．”

Fashion designer Angela Barnard, who runs her own fashion business in London, said older women were much more affected by the celebrity(名流) style than in previous years．

She said, “When people see stars such as Judi Dench and Helen Mirren looking attractive and fashionable in their sixties, they want to follow them．Older women are much more aware of celebrities. There’s also the boom in TV programmes showing people how they can change their look, and many of my older customers do yoga to stay in shape well in their fifties．When I started my business a few years ago, my older customers tended to be very rich, but now they are what I would call ordinary women．My own mother is 61 and she wears the latest fashions in a way she would never have done ten years ago．”

1.Professor Twigg found that, compared with the 1960s, _________．

A．the spending on clothes has increased by 5% or 6%

B．the price of clothes has generally fallen by 70%

C．people spend 30% less than they did on clothes

D．the amount of clothes bought has risen by 5% or 6%

2.What can we learn about old women in terms of fashion？

A．They are often ignored by fashion designers.

B．They are now more easily influenced by stars.

C．They are regarded as pioneers in the latest fashion.

D．They are more interested in clothes because of their old age.

3.It can be concluded that old women tend to wear the latest fashions today mainly because ________.

A．clothes are much cheaper than before

B．TV shows teach them how to change their look

C．they are in much better shape now

D．they get tired of things more quickly

4.Which is the best possible title of the passage?

A．Unexpected Changes in Fashion

B．The More Fashionable, the Less Expensive

C．Age Is No Barrier for Fashion Fans

D．Boom of the British Fashion Industry

Answer

1.B

2.B

3.A

4.C

【解析】

试题分析：文章讲述女性生活的新变化：随着社会的发展，在追逐时尚的人群中，活跃着六七十岁的女性，文章分析了原因。

1.细节题。根据文章第四段第一句The professor said, “Clothes are now 70 percent cheaper than they were in the 1960s because of the huge expansion of production in the Far East.可知，现在的服装比60年代便宜了百分之70，原因是远东地区生产的巨大扩张，故B正确。

2. 细节理解题。根据文章第五段Fashion designer Angela Barnard, who runs her own fashion business in London, said older women were much more affected by celebrity(名流) style than in previous years.可知在时尚方面，年老的女性相比前几年更容易受到名流的影响。故B正确。

3. 推理判断题。根据第四段第一句Clothes are now 70 percent cheaper than they were in the 1960s because of the huge expansion of production in the Far East和最后一句Everyone is buying more clothes but in general we are not spending more money on them.可知，现在的老年女性穿时尚的服装是因为现在的衣服很便宜，他们完全有能力买得起。故A正确。

4. 主旨大意题。根据文章中心句第一句They wear the latest fashions with the most up-to-date accessories(配饰). Yet these are not girls in their teens or twenties but women in their sixties and seventies.可知，现在的老年人在时尚方面一点都不输给年轻人，年龄已经不再是时尚的障碍了。故C项符合文章中心思想。

【名师点睛】

找主题句的四个小窍门：

1.段落中出现表转折的词语(如however, but, in fact, actually, while, on the contrary, in contrast等)时，其后的句子很可能是主题句。

2.首段很有可能就是主题段，里面肯定有主题句。5. 主旨大意题。文章第一段是本文的主题段: 第一句They wear the latest fashions with the most up-to-date accessories(配饰). Yet these are not girls in their teens or twenties but women in their sixties and seventies.可知现在的老年人在时尚方面一点都不输给年轻人，年龄已经不再是时尚的障碍了。故C项符合文章中心思想。

3.作者有意识地反复强调的观点，通常是主旨;反复出现的词语，一般为体现文章主旨的关键词。

4.表示总结或结论的话常有therefore，thus， in short，conclude， conclusion等。

考点：说明文阅读。