Making a Loss Is the Height of Fashion Given that a good year in the haute couture(高级定制女装)business is one where you lose even more money than usual, the prevailing mood in Paris last week was sensational. The big-name designers were falling over themselves to boast of how many outfits they had sold at below cost price, and how this proved that the fashion business was healthier than ever. Jean-Paul Gaultier reported record sales. “but we don’t make any money out of it, “ the designer assured journalists backstage. “No matter how successful you are, you can’t make a profit from couture, “ explained Jean—Jacques Picart, a veteran fashion PR man, and co-founder of the now-bankrupt Lacroix house. Almost 20 years have passed since the unusual economics of the couture business were first exposed. Outraged that he was losing money on evening dresses costing tens of thousands of pounds, the couturier Jean-Louis Scherrer published a detailed summary of his costs. One outfit he described curtained over half a mile of gold thread, 18, 000 sequins(亮片), and had required hundreds of hours of hand-stitching in an atelier(制作室). A fair price would have been ￡50, 000, but the couturier could only get ￡35, 000 for it. Rather than riding high on the foolishness of the super-rich, he and his team could barely feed their hungry families. The result was an outcry and the first of a series of government-and industry—sponsored inquiries into the surreal(超现实的)world of ultimate fashion. The trade continues to insist that couture offers you more than you pay for, but it’s not as simple as that. When such a temple of old wealth starts talking about value for money, it isn’t to convince anyone that dresses costing as much as houses are a bargain. Rather, it is to preserve the peculiar mystique(神秘), lucrative(利润丰厚的)associations and threatened interests that couture represents. Essentially, the arguments couldn’t be simpler. On one side are those who say that the business will die if it doesn’t change. On the other are those who say it will die if it does. What’s not in doubt is that haute couture—the term translates as “high sewing“—is highly dated. Huge in its costs, tiny in its clientele and questionable in its influence, it still remains one of the great themes of Parisian life. In his book, The Fashion Conspiracy, Nicholas Coleridge estimates that the entire couture industry rests on the whims(一时兴起)of less than 30 immensely wealthy women, and although the number may have grown in recent years with the new prosperity of Asia, the number of couture customers worldwide is no more than 4, 000. To qualify as couture, a garment must be entirely handmade by one of the 11 Paris couture houses registered to the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. Each house must employ at least 20 people, and show a minimum of 75 new designs a year. So far, so traditional, but the Big Four operators— Chanel, Dior, Givenchy and Gaultier—increasingly use couture as a marketing device for their far more profitable ready-to-wear, fragrance and accessory lines.

Respect for life is a cardinal principle of the law. fundamental moral regular hard

The proposal was endorsed by the majority of members. rejected approved submitted considered

Many experts remain skeptical about his claims. untouched certain silent doubtful

This species has nearly died out because its habitat is being destroyed. turned dead passed by carried away become extinct

The rules are too rigid to allow for human error. general complex inflexible direct

A. drive around B. go by bus C. travel regularly D. encourage more private cars E. spend more money F. reduce traffic jams

Family History In an age when technology is developing faster than ever before, many people are being attracted to the【C1】______of looking back into the past. One way they can do this is by【C2】______their own family history. They can try to【C3】______out more about where their families came from and what they did. This is now a fast-growing hobby, especially in countries【C4】______a greatly short history, like Australia and the United States. It is one thing to spend some time【C5】______through a book on family history and to【C6】______ the decision to investigate your own family’s past. It is quite another to【C7】______out the research work successfully. It is easy to set about it in a disorganized【C8】______and cause yourself many problems which could have been【C9】______with a little forward planning. If your own family stories tell you【C10】______you are missed with a famous character, whether hero or criminal, do not let this idea take【C11】______your research. Just treat it as an interesting【C12】______. A simple system with collecting and storing your information will be adequate to【C13】______with; a more complex one may only get in your【C14】______. The most important thing, though, is to get started. Who【C15】______what you might find?

The methods of communication used during the war were primitive. reliable effective simple alternative

They didn’t seem to appreciate the magnitude of the problem. existence cause importance situation

The drinking water has became contaminated with lead. polluted treated tested corrupted

Rumors began to circulate about his financial problems. send hear confirm spread

On the Trial of the Honey Badger On a recent field trip to the Kalahari Desert, a team of researchers learn a lot more about honey badgers. The team employed a local wildlife expert Kitso Khama to help them locate and follow the badgers across the desert. Their main aim was to study the badgers’ movements and behavior as discreetly(谨慎地)as possible without frightening them away or causing them to change their natural behavior. They also planned to trap a few and study them close up before releasing them in view of the animal’s reputation, this was something that even Khama was reluctant to do. “The problem with honey badgers is they are naturally curious animals, especially when they see something new, “ he says. “That, combined with their unpredictable nature, can be a dangerous mixture. If they sense you have food, for example, they won’t be shy about coming right up to you for something to eat. They’re actually quite sociable creatures around humans, but as soon as they feel they might be in danger, they can become extremely vicious(凶恶的). Fortunately this is rare, but it does happen. “ The research confirmed many things that were already known. As expected, honey badgers ate any creatures they could catch and kill. Even poisonous snakes, feared and avoided by most other animals, were not safe from them. The researchers were surprised, however, by the animal’s fondness for local melons, probably because of their high water content. Preciously researchers thought that the animal got all of its liquid requirements from its prey(猎物). The team also learnt that, contrary to previous research findings, the badgers occasionally formed loose family groups. They were also able to confirm certain results from previous research, including the fact that female badgers never socialized with each other. Following some of the male badgers was a challenge, since they can cover large distances in a short space of time. Some hunting territories cover more than 500 square kilometers. Although they seem happy to share these territories with other males, ther are occasional fights over an important food source, and male badgers can be as aggressive towards each other as they are towards other species. As the badgers became accustomed to the presence of people, it gave the team the to get up close to them without being the subject of the animal’s curiosity—or sudden aggression. The badgers’ eating patterns, which had been disrupted, to normal. It also allowed the team to observe more closely some of the other creatures that form working associations with the honey badger, as these seemed to badgers’ relaxed attitude when near humans.

Making a Loss Is the Height of Fashion Given that a good year in the haute couture(高级定制女装)business is one where you lose even more money than usual, the prevailing mood in Paris last week was sensational. The big-name designers were falling over themselves to boast of how many outfits they had sold at below cost price, and how this proved that the fashion business was healthier than ever. Jean-Paul Gaultier reported record sales. “but we don’t make any money out of it, “ the designer assured journalists backstage. “No matter how successful you are, you can’t make a profit from couture, “ explained Jean—Jacques Picart, a veteran fashion PR man, and co-founder of the now-bankrupt Lacroix house. Almost 20 years have passed since the unusual economics of the couture business were first exposed. Outraged that he was losing money on evening dresses costing tens of thousands of pounds, the couturier Jean-Louis Scherrer published a detailed summary of his costs. One outfit he described curtained over half a mile of gold thread, 18, 000 sequins(亮片), and had required hundreds of hours of hand-stitching in an atelier(制作室). A fair price would have been ￡50, 000, but the couturier could only get ￡35, 000 for it. Rather than riding high on the foolishness of the super-rich, he and his team could barely feed their hungry families. The result was an outcry and the first of a series of government-and industry—sponsored inquiries into the surreal(超现实的)world of ultimate fashion. The trade continues to insist that couture offers you more than you pay for, but it’s not as simple as that. When such a temple of old wealth starts talking about value for money, it isn’t to convince anyone that dresses costing as much as houses are a bargain. Rather, it is to preserve the peculiar mystique(神秘), lucrative(利润丰厚的)associations and threatened interests that couture represents. Essentially, the arguments couldn’t be simpler. On one side are those who say that the business will die if it doesn’t change. On the other are those who say it will die if it does. What’s not in doubt is that haute couture—the term translates as “high sewing“—is highly dated. Huge in its costs, tiny in its clientele and questionable in its influence, it still remains one of the great themes of Parisian life. In his book, The Fashion Conspiracy, Nicholas Coleridge estimates that the entire couture industry rests on the whims(一时兴起)of less than 30 immensely wealthy women, and although the number may have grown in recent years with the new prosperity of Asia, the number of couture customers worldwide is no more than 4, 000. To qualify as couture, a garment must be entirely handmade by one of the 11 Paris couture houses registered to the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. Each house must employ at least 20 people, and show a minimum of 75 new designs a year. So far, so traditional, but the Big Four operators— Chanel, Dior, Givenchy and Gaultier—increasingly use couture as a marketing device for their far more profitable ready-to-wear, fragrance and accessory lines.

Three world-class tennis players came to contend for this title. argue claim wish compete

Come out, or I’ll bust the door down. shut beat set break

The tower remains intact ever after two hundred years. unknown undamaged unusual unstable

The contract between the two companies will expire soon. shorten start end resume

She shed a few tears at her daughter’s wedding. produced wiped injected removed

The police will need to keep a wary eye on this area of town. cautious naked blind private

Mau Piailug, Ocean Navigator Mau sailed from Hawaii to Tahiti using traditional methods. In early 1976, Mau Piailug, a fisherman, led an expedition in which he sailed a traditional Polynesian boat across 2, 500 miles of ocean from Hawaii to Tahiti. The Polynesian Voyaging Society had organised the expedition. Its purpose was to find out if seafarers(海员)in the distant past could have found their way from one island to the other without navigational instruments, or whether the islands had been populated by accident. At the time, Mau was the only man alive who knew how to navigate just by observing the stars, the wind and the sea. He had never before sailed to Tahiti, which was a long way to the south. However, he understood how the wind and the sea behave around islands, so he was confident he could find his way. The voyage took him and his crew a month to complete and he did it without a compass or charts. His grandfather began the task of teaching him how to navigate when he was still a baby. He showed him pools of water on the beach to teach him how the behaviour of the waves and wind changed in different place. Later, Mau used a circle of stones to memorise the positions of the stars. Each stone was laid out in the sand to represent a star. The voyage proved that Hawaii’s first inhabitants came in small boats and navigated by reading the sea and the stars. Mau himself became a keen teacher, passing on his traditional secrets to people of other cultures so that his knowledge would not be lost. He explained the positions of the stars to his students, but he allowed them to write things down because he knew they would never be able to remember everything as he had done.

What is the writer’s tone toward haute couture business?

The writer says in Paragraph 4 that there is disagreement over

The writer says that the outfit Jean-Louis Scherrer described

According to the second paragraph, Jean-Louis Scherrer

What is the main idea of the first paragraph?