Competition. It’s a simple word, yet a very complex word that covers many angles when it comes to how gasoline prices are determined. It seems so easy to explain, but don’t let that trick you—it’s incredibly difficult to explain and adequately understand.

Say you’re on a Sunday afternoon drive, and notice a gas station near you charging $3.50. Down the road a few miles, that price could easily be 10 or more cents higher or lower. The question is “how” or “why” is that? Think of it this way. Are you more likely to get a better deal on a car if there are two similar car dealers next to each other? Perhaps, because the dealers are too close. Say there is a third similar car dealer miles away. Is he going to be at the same level of competition and sell his cars for the same price as the two dealers next to each other? Likely not. He may charge more or less. Maybe people don't know there are two other dealers down the road. Maybe the dealer is almost outside of the city and the land value isn't as high, so his taxes aren't as high.

These situations do take place at gas stations. And more factors can impact what a station will charge. Timing can greatly impact what price a station charges as well! Many motorists fail to realize that the price a station pays for gasoline changes daily. If one station gets lucky and buys gas on Monday and the cost goes up Tuesday, the station that bought on Monday doesn’t necessarily have to raise prices like the station that bought on Tuesday. Maybe the station that got caught buying for a higher price on Tuesday will pass that higher cost on by raising its gas price.

Perhaps the difference is what brand the station is---branded stations usually pay a slightly higher cost for their gasoline. In return for paying a higher cost, those stations are guaranteed first supply in case of emergency situations. Independent stations don’t pay as much, but aren’t guaranteed supply.

While competition sounds easy to understand, there are always a large number of factors that could influence what one station charges. Keep in mind how many variables (變數(shù)) there are next time you fill up.

63.What could be the best title for the passage?

A. How Competition Impacts Gas Prices

B. Gas Prices Go Up or Down

C. Competition---a Very Complex Word

D. We Can’t Stress Enough the Need for Competition

64. The example of car dealers is used to show ______________.

A. car prices are determined by car dealers

B. location is an important factor in pricing

C. the quality of service matters most

D. dealing strategy should be flexible

65. The gas prices of a station always change partly because ______________.

A. a gas station always wants to charge more

B. the gasoline is in great demand

C. the cost of the gas the station buys varies daily

D. gas is in greater need on Monday

66. According to the passage, branded stations ______________.

A. spend less money on their gasoline

B. have more staff than independent stations

C. charge less for high quality oil

D. offer a steady oil supply

練習(xí)冊系列答案
相關(guān)習(xí)題

科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解

The website YouTube was created in 2005 and became an overnight success.Google bought YouTube for more than $1,600,000 the following year.In May,YouTube announced that two billion videos were watched each day.

In June,the Guggenheim Museum in New York City announced it would hold a competition among YouTube videos.Now,the judges have chosen the top 125 videos.

The Guggenheim and YouTube launched the competition called“YouTube Play.A Biennial(兩年一度)of Creative Video.”The information technology companies HP and Intel are supporting the event.23,000 videos entered the competition.They represented 91 countries and every possible style of movie making.

The rules of the competition were few.Video makers had to be eighteen years or older.They could enter only one video.It had to be no more than ten minutes long.Any language,subject,sound,and style were considered.

Eleven people are judging the videos.They include artists,musicians,and filmmakers.Laurie Anderson is all three.She says all her art starts with a story,so she looks for a story as she judges the videos.

Other judges include the filmmaker Darren Aronofsky,the band Animal Collective,and artist and filmmaker,Shirin Neshat.

New Jersey artist Dahlia Elsayed’s video is one of the finalists.She used the camera in her computer to record herself describing her daily food desires for one month.The video is simple,short,and interesting.

A frightening,but beautiful video came from Chile.The video by Niles Atallah,Joaquin Cocina Varas.and Cristobal Leon is called“Luis”.It is an animated ghostly story of a tense,angry boy.It is very dark,but impossible to stop watching.

“Mars to Jupiter”is a video from Canada by Sterling Pache.It is about a survivor of the 1994 genocide(種族屠殺)in Rwanda.The video explores how her past still haunts(縈繞) her.

Other chosen videos are from France,Spain,Taiwan,Australia,and Israel.Almost thirty countries are represented.You can see them if you link to YouTube Play from our website at voaspecialenglish.com.

People can also see the 125 videos at the Guggenheim museums in New York;Bilbao,Spain;Berlin,Germany;and Venice,Italy.

On October 21,the YouTube Play judges will announce the final twenty winning videos at a special event at the Guggenheim in New York.The Videos will be on View there until October 24.

Accoding to the text,YouTube might be        .

A.a video sharing website

B.a supporting company of the event

C.a museum in New York City

D.a frightening,but beautiful video

Who were supposed to enter the contest according to the text?

A.Video makers in English—speaking countries.

B.Video makers from New York City.

C.Video makers all over the world.

D.Video makers under the age of 18.

Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?

A.The rules of the competition were quite complicated.

B.Twenty videos will finally be picked out as the best.

C.The style of video was strictly limited.

D.Only artists can judge the competitio.

         is a simple and relaxing story about daily life.

A.“Mars to Jupiter”                      B.Niles Atallah’s video

C.“Luis”                                 D.Dahlia Elsayed’s video

The text is mainly about        .

A.a famous wetsite                         B.a famous museum

C.some interesting videos                  D.a video competition

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:2011屆山東省諸城市高三2月月考英語試卷 題型:閱讀理解

The website YouTube was created in 2005 and became an overnight success.Google bought YouTube for more than $1,600,000 the following year.In May,YouTube announced that two billion videos were watched each day.
In June,the Guggenheim Museum in New York City announced it would hold a competition among YouTube videos.Now,the judges have chosen the top 125 videos.
The Guggenheim and YouTube launched the competition called“YouTube Play.A Biennial(兩年一度)of Creative Video.”The information technology companies HP and Intel are supporting the event.23,000 videos entered the competition.They represented 91 countries and every possible style of movie making.
The rules of the competition were few.Video makers had to be eighteen years or older.They could enter only one video.It had to be no more than ten minutes long.Any language,subject,sound,and style were considered.
Eleven people are judging the videos.They include artists,musicians,and filmmakers.Laurie Anderson is all three.She says all her art starts with a story,so she looks for a story as she judges the videos.
Other judges include the filmmaker Darren Aronofsky,the band Animal Collective,and artist and filmmaker,Shirin Neshat.
New Jersey artist Dahlia Elsayed’s video is one of the finalists.She used the camera in her computer to record herself describing her daily food desires for one month.The video is simple,short,and interesting.
A frightening,but beautiful video came from Chile.The video by Niles Atallah,Joaquin Cocina Varas.and Cristobal Leon is called“Luis”.It is an animated ghostly story of a tense,angry boy.It is very dark,but impossible to stop watching.
“Mars to Jupiter”is a video from Canada by Sterling Pache.It is about a survivor of the 1994 genocide(種族屠殺)in Rwanda.The video explores how her past still haunts(縈繞) her.
Other chosen videos are from France,Spain,Taiwan,Australia,and Israel.Almost thirty countries are represented.You can see them if you link to YouTube Play from our website at voaspecialenglish.com.
People can also see the 125 videos at the Guggenheim museums in New York;Bilbao,Spain;Berlin,Germany;and Venice,Italy.
On October 21,the YouTube Play judges will announce the final twenty winning videos at a special event at the Guggenheim in New York.The Videos will be on View there until October 24.
【小題1】Accoding to the text,YouTube might be       .

A.a(chǎn) video sharing website
B.a(chǎn) supporting company of the event
C.a(chǎn) museum in New York City
D.a(chǎn) frightening,but beautiful video
【小題2】Who were supposed to enter the contest according to the text?
A.Video makers in English—speaking countries.
B.Video makers from New York City.
C.Video makers all over the world.
D.Video makers under the age of 18.
【小題3】Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?
A.The rules of the competition were quite complicated.
B.Twenty videos will finally be picked out as the best.
C.The style of video was strictly limited.
D.Only artists can judge the competitio.
【小題4】        is a simple and relaxing story about daily life.
A.“Mars to Jupiter”B.Niles Atallah’s video
C.“Luis”D.Dahlia Elsayed’s video
【小題5】The text is mainly about       .
A.a(chǎn) famous wetsiteB.a(chǎn) famous museum
C.some interesting videosD.a(chǎn) video competition

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:2010-2011學(xué)年山東省諸城市高三2月月考英語試卷 題型:閱讀理解

The website YouTube was created in 2005 and became an overnight success.Google bought YouTube for more than $1,600,000 the following year.In May,YouTube announced that two billion videos were watched each day.

In June,the Guggenheim Museum in New York City announced it would hold a competition among YouTube videos.Now,the judges have chosen the top 125 videos.

The Guggenheim and YouTube launched the competition called“YouTube Play.A Biennial(兩年一度)of Creative Video.”The information technology companies HP and Intel are supporting the event.23,000 videos entered the competition.They represented 91 countries and every possible style of movie making.

The rules of the competition were few.Video makers had to be eighteen years or older.They could enter only one video.It had to be no more than ten minutes long.Any language,subject,sound,and style were considered.

Eleven people are judging the videos.They include artists,musicians,and filmmakers.Laurie Anderson is all three.She says all her art starts with a story,so she looks for a story as she judges the videos.

Other judges include the filmmaker Darren Aronofsky,the band Animal Collective,and artist and filmmaker,Shirin Neshat.

New Jersey artist Dahlia Elsayed’s video is one of the finalists.She used the camera in her computer to record herself describing her daily food desires for one month.The video is simple,short,and interesting.

A frightening,but beautiful video came from Chile.The video by Niles Atallah,Joaquin Cocina Varas.and Cristobal Leon is called“Luis”.It is an animated ghostly story of a tense,angry boy.It is very dark,but impossible to stop watching.

“Mars to Jupiter”is a video from Canada by Sterling Pache.It is about a survivor of the 1994 genocide(種族屠殺)in Rwanda.The video explores how her past still haunts(縈繞) her.

Other chosen videos are from France,Spain,Taiwan,Australia,and Israel.Almost thirty countries are represented.You can see them if you link to YouTube Play from our website at voaspecialenglish.com.

People can also see the 125 videos at the Guggenheim museums in New York;Bilbao,Spain;Berlin,Germany;and Venice,Italy.

On October 21,the YouTube Play judges will announce the final twenty winning videos at a special event at the Guggenheim in New York.The Videos will be on View there until October 24.

1.Accoding to the text,YouTube might be        .

A.a video sharing website

B.a supporting company of the event

C.a museum in New York City

D.a frightening,but beautiful video

2.Who were supposed to enter the contest according to the text?

A.Video makers in English—speaking countries.

B.Video makers from New York City.

C.Video makers all over the world.

D.Video makers under the age of 18.

3.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?

A.The rules of the competition were quite complicated.

B.Twenty videos will finally be picked out as the best.

C.The style of video was strictly limited.

D.Only artists can judge the competitio.

4.         is a simple and relaxing story about daily life.

A.“Mars to Jupiter”                      B.Niles Atallah’s video

C.“Luis”                                 D.Dahlia Elsayed’s video

5.The text is mainly about        .

A.a famous wetsite                         B.a famous museum

C.some interesting videos                  D.a video competition

 

 

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習(xí)冊答案