I needed to get some money so, after Christmas, I took a job in the clothes department at Graham’s for the first fortnight of the January sale. I can’t say that I enjoyed it, but it was an experience I’ll never forget.
I could never understand why there were so many things in the sales；where did they all come from? Now I know the secret! Firstly, there is the special winter stock and the stock that people buy all the year around；some of these things are slightly reduced. Secondly, there are the summer clothes they couldn’t sell last year； these are heavily reduced to clear them. Thirdly, there are cheap clothes bought in specially for the sales； these are put out at high prices ten days before the sale begins and then are reduced by 60% in the sale. Clever! Lastly, they buy in “seconds” (clothes not in perfect condition) for the sale and they are sold very cheaply.
When I arrived half an hour before opening on the first day of the sale, there was already a queue around three sides of the building. This made me very nervous.
When the big moment arrived to open the doors, the security guards, looking less confident than usual, came up to them, keys in hand. The moment they had unlocked the doors, they hid behind the doors for protection as the noisy crowd charged in. I couldn’t believe my eyes； this wasn’t shopping, it was a battlefield! One poor lady couldn’t keep her feet and was knocked over by people pushing from behind.
Clothes were flying in all directions as people searched for the sizes, colours and styles they wanted. Quarrels broke out. Mothers were using their small children to crawl through people’s legs and get hold of things they couldn’t get near themselves.
Within minutes I had half a dozen people pushing clothes under my nose, each wanting to be the first served. Where had the famous English queue gone? The whole day continued like that, but I kept my temper! I was taking money hand over fist and began to realize why, twice a year, Graham’s were happy to turn their expensive store into a battlefield like this.
In the sale fever, people were spending money like water without thinking whether they needed what they were buying. As long as it was a bargain it was OK!
You won’t believe this but as soon as I got home I crashed out for four hours. Then I had dinner and went back to bed, fearing the sound of the alarm which would tell me to get ready for the second day of the sale.
1．The underlined word “crawl” means ______.
A．stare at
B．jump over
C．move on the ground with hands and knees
D．climb onto
2．Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
A．Foolish Customers B．A Pleasant Christmas
C．A Good Bargain D．Sale Fever
3．In the writer’s view, why were Graham’s happy to make their expensive store into a battlefield?
A．They don’t have much experience in doing business.
B．They wanted to make more money by having sales.
C．The customers got a fever at Christmas.
D．They don’t want too many clothes in stock.
