A
I remember watching my first rental (租赁的) movie when I was a kid. My aunt owned a video store and we borrowed a VHS copy of Poltergeist.
In 2004, I was 33 years old, living in Bend and looking for a parttime job to help support our family. My best friend, Mary, a saleswoman at the Blockbuster, suggested I might like working with her at the Blockbuster, and I've been here ever since. Back then, there were five Blockbusters in Bend alone. The movierental business was at its peak (顶点): we were still storing VHS tapes but DVDs were also coming in, and both were doing well.
When it became clear that DVD was going to supersede VHS, I got very excited because those cassettes were so big and heavy. I often dropped them on my feet. Even then, I never dreamed I would end up managing the last store in town.
For me, the best thing about this job is the people. I love chatting to customers and hearing their opinions on movies. Now I'm the manager, however. I have all kinds of other responsibilities, like handling mountains of paperwork. I'm a bit like an old policeman in a movie who hates the desk job and longs to go back to the beat (巡逻区域). I hate being the manager.
The final store closures happened so fast. At the end of 2017, there were seven Blockbusters left in the US, but by early 2019 there was only our store and one other store in Australia, in the world. Since March when only our store remained, things have been crazy. The local community has been surprisingly supportive, and people have come from all over the world to rent movies: we're set up close to 5,000 new memberships. Most of them are regulars.
I'll be sad to see the end of video stores. We have several years left on our lease (租期) and, as long as we can continue to pay our staff, we'll stay open. Becoming the last store has given the business a push and we're selling Blockbuster souvenirs. I've watched enough movies to realize there's an end to everything, but hopefully the ending of this story is a long way off.
本文是一篇夹叙夹议文，介绍了作者对影片租赁的商店Blockbuster的挚爱。
1．What can we learn about the Blockbuster?
A．It was quite popular in the past.
B．It was mainly found in America.
C．It provided many parttime jobs for kids.
D．It offered workers high salaries.
答案：A
解析：推理判断题。根据第二段的My best friend...and both were doing well.可知，影片租赁商店Blockbuster在过去很受人们的欢迎。
2．What does the underlined word “supersede” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?
A．Combine. B．Substitute.
C．Copy. D．Represent.
答案：B
解析：词义猜测题。通读第三段的I got very excited because...on my feet.可知，DVD将取代VHS。
3．Why does the author say things have been crazy since March?
A．Because few people want to work in Blockbusters.
B．Because many Blockbusters have broken down.
C．Because VHS tapes and DVDs became hard to buy.
D．Because their store became popular unexpectedly.
答案：D
解析：细节理解题。根据第五段的Since March when only...have been crazy.可知，是因为作者发现许多人前来支持她们的商店。
