Dear Mr. Plant, I am an enthusiastic camper and longtime X-Ports customer, but after being offended for the third time at your Sierra Vista location, I am writing to complain about your impolite employees. Several months ago ,I bought a tent that leaked the first time I used it and wanted it replaced . When I took it back, your employees accused me of tearing it myself. I left not only withm1, torn tent, but no refund and no satisfaction. A couple of weeks ago , I bought a sleeping bag that was supposed to sleep two people comfort-ably. It didn't. Your employees refused to give me my money back even though I had the receipt. I was asked to leave the store, again with no satisfaction. To my misfortune, my latest purchase , of a piece of camping equipment at your store proyed to be another disappointment. The propane camp stove I bought didn't work properly. When I returned to exchange it, the rude clerk refused to help me because I did not have my sales receipt. It was an even exchange! He said that I was a problem and even asked if I had seen what products I-could purchase at one of your competitor's stores at comparable prices. Was he accusing me of something? Why would I have brought a receipt for an even exchange? Why would I know the price at other stores? Furthermore, the clerk called security and forced me to leave your store-without my camp stove! How can I go camping now? The tent leaks, the sleeping bag is just wrong, and I don't have a stove to keep warm ! Who is going to refund my money for my stove? Who is going to help me get over the abuse I suffered in your store? You, as the area manager must clear these matters up for me immediately! I am sending copies of this letter to your main office and the Sierra Vista Store. Sincerely , Ima Kumpanee The clerk didn' t want to exchange the stove for Ima because _ . A) the clerk was offended B) Ima destroyed it herself C) Ima didn' t have the receipt D) the clerk had given Ima the refund
C
Do you often find yourself crying in arguments? Does it feel like you just can't stop your emotions defeating you completely when you are in the middle of a heated discussion with someone, and you particularly want to make clear strong points and express yourself effectively? Many people think that someone who bursts into tears during an argument or a quarrel is 9 / 17 trying to handle the situation by bringing emotion into it. But the person who wells up tears during some heated discussion is not in control of those tears. They just can't control blushing or stop themselves breaking out in a sweat if they feel nervous. The body has a number of such automatic responses that switch on without your decision that you want to respond like this. These instinctive behaviors have evolved over millions of years to protect us. Basically, our brains make associations between things that seem similar, which is important for automatic responses. For example, a snake is a potentially dangerous creature, and you can see why it might be useful if, whenever you see a snake, you will run like crazy. And you can see why it might still be useful if you see a flexible stick and get the same reaction. However, these very simple associations can sometimes be really unhelpful. It's not useful to try to calmly argue an important point with someone, and suddenly find tears running down your cheeks. Tears can generally make you seem weak, or foolish, and less credible. Who's going to take what you say seriously if you're crying? But if these reactions are not under your control, what can you do about it? The good news is that although you can't control automatic reactions directly, you can unlink unhelpful associations. And that means that an unwanted reaction won't get started, and so won't happen. Besides, you can try the following: Begin to notice a change in how you feel about previous times when you were defeated by emotion; Develop a growing sense of confidence and optimism about how things will go in the future. The main purpose of the passage is to give advice on _ . A) how to overcome our fears B) how to avoid tears in arguments C) how to express our feelings clearly D) how to communicate with people crying
B
When it came to role models, Diana Ortiz said her mother, Marcia Dominguez, was the "hero". Ms. Dominguez came to the United States from Cuba in 1979. She went to college and got a job as a social worker --- all the while raising three children in America mostly on her own. "It was always school first," Diana said, "My mom had us in a straight line. If we got out of line, she corrected us. She was a perfect woman. She was beautiful, she had the education and she had everything --- but the illness took over. When I was 11, it frightened me to see how quickly my mother's health was ruined by cancer. A week before I turned 14, my mother died at age 50. I had tried to prepare myself, but on the first morning I woke up without my mother, the sense of loss was painful." Diana had not seen her father for five years, who refused to provide for her. Diana then entered the city's foster care system. She has spent about four years in foster homes. Despite Diana's hard teenage years, the values her mother had planted in her mind inspired her to go after higher education. Since August 2010, she has been a fulltime student majoring in law. A public organization offers her tuition but she has part-time jobs to help people like her and earn more life experience. Her goal is a job in the Federal Bureau of Investigation. For now, Diana works 20 hours a week as a cashier at Marshalls, earning $7.25 an hour. In November, she moved into her own public housing studio apartment on the Lower East Side. She pays $236 a month in rent. Although she is out of foster care, Diana has been speaking at workshops for foster youths. She emphasizes that nothing should get in the way of their success, not the trials of their lives or what they may have lost. "I tell the young who have the similar experience like me, 'Why are you going to let what happened to you affect you in the long run?' " Diana said. " 'Why are you going to sit there and feel sorry for yourself? You're wasting precious time.' It is a message my mother would approve of. My... What made Diana go on with her education despite there are so many difficulties? A) The sense of loss from her mother's death. B) The eagerness to achieve success. C) The deep influence of her mother's values. D) The wish to win prizes to please her mother.
C